Megapiranha

Mega Piranha Paranensis is an extinct freshwater fish from South America. The type is the first fossil proven Sägesalmler ( Serrasalmidae ).

Discovery

The teeth of Mega Piranha Paranensis were found in 2009 by paleontologist Alberto Cione Luis and his team unearthed at Entre Ríos on the Rio Parana in Argentina. Found only his Prämaxillen and teeth, the rest of the body could only be calculated.

Description

Mega Piranha Paranensis was estimated 95-128 centimeters long, so reached in about four times the body length of today's piranhas. Comparable to these sizes are omnivore and herbivore brachypomus Sägesalmler as Colossoma macroponum and Piaractus. The zigzag pattern of his teeth takes an intermediary position between today's piranhas with the row incisors and the herbivorous Pacu with double-breasted front teeth. On the basis of his teeth can not say with certainty whether Mega Piranha Paranensis carnivore or herbivore feeding has.

System

Based on statistical comparison methods such as maximum parsimony turned out that the genus Mega Piranha Piranha the sister taxon of the clade consisting of the genera is Pygopristis, Pygocentrus, Pristobrycon and Serrasalmus and developed independently of this clade.

Swell

  • (PDF, 3.0 MB) Alberto Luis Cione, Wasila M. Dahdul, John G. Lundberg and Antonio Machado - Allison: Mega Piranha Paranensis, a new genus and species of Serrasalmidae ( Characiformes, Teleostei ) from the Upper Miocene of Argentina, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 2009, 29 (2).
  • Sketches and guessed proportions of Mega Piranha Paranensis

Notes and References

  • Sägesalmler
  • Serrasalmidae
  • Extinct teleost
Mya (unit) Piaractus brachypomus
561662
de