Wimple piranha

Juvenile fish

The pennant Piranha ( Catoprion mento, Gr. " Kato " = bottom, " prion " = Saw; " mento " = chin ) is a freshwater fish of the family of Sägesalmler ( Serrasalmidae ).

Dissemination

He lives in the basins of the Amazon, the Orinoco, the Essequibo and in the upper basin of the Río Paraguay.

Features

Pennant Piranhas are 15 cm long. Your body is disk-shaped and laterally strongly flattened. The ventral edge is occupied by 36-37 Sägeschuppen. The adipose fin is relatively long. The mouth is directed upwards, premaxillary bone ( premaxilla ) and the strong, thick protruding lower jaw are each occupied by a very irregular teeth. The teeth have a wide base and a very pronounced central peak. Pennant Piranhas are silvery, partially silvery green. Your top is darker. On the gill cover there is an orange spot at the base of the tail a black spot. The front part of the tail fin is yellowish, the upper and lower edge, sometimes the posterior margin are blackish. The first rays of the dorsal and the anal fin are greatly extended. The first fin ray of the dorsal fin is white, the black three following. The anal fin is reddish, her first fin ray also white. The eye is surrounded black and with a silvery ring. The lateral line is colored differently. Gender differences are not known.

• Fins formula: Dorsal 2/13-14, 3/33-34 Anal
• Shed Formula 80 (MLR )

Young fish live in shoals, older animals are loners.

Nutrition

Piranhas feed on Pennant in part from the shed larger fish. Chocoholics reported that the attack is from below upwards.

System

The pennant was Piranha ( Catoprioninae ) assigned in the past in its own subfamily the genuine tetras ( Chatacidae ). Today it belongs to the family of Sägesalmler ( Serrasalmidae ) and forms with other carnivore living Sägesalmlergattungen the clade of piranhas.