Megapiranha
Encyclopedia
Megapiranha is a genus
of extinct serrasalmid
characin fish
from the Late
Miocene
(between 8-10 million years ago) of Argentina
described in 2009. Megapiranha reached lengths of up to 1 meter long, four times the size of the modern-day piranha. It is based on
only premaxilla
e and teeth, with the rest of the body not known.
The fossil has a zigzag row of teeth, which is intermediate between modern piranha
s, with a single row of cutting teeth, and the pacu
, with two rows of teeth adapted to eat plants.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of extinct serrasalmid
Serrasalminae
Serrasalminae is a subfamily of fish within the family Characidae. The name means "serrated salmon family", which refers to the serrated keel running along the belly of these fish.-Common names:...
characin fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
from the Late
Late Miocene
The Late Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch....
Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
(between 8-10 million years ago) of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
described in 2009. Megapiranha reached lengths of up to 1 meter long, four times the size of the modern-day piranha. It is based on
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
only premaxilla
Premaxilla
The incisive bone is the portion of the maxilla adjacent to the incisors. It is a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the jaws of many animals, usually bearing teeth, but not always. They are connected to the maxilla and the nasals....
e and teeth, with the rest of the body not known.
The fossil has a zigzag row of teeth, which is intermediate between modern piranha
Piranha
A piranha or piraña is a member of family Characidae in order Characiformes, an omnivorous freshwater fish that inhabits South American rivers. In Venezuela, they are called caribes...
s, with a single row of cutting teeth, and the pacu
Pacú
Pacu or pacú is the common name of several South American fishes.PACU, Pacu or pacú may also refer to:*Piaractus mesopotamicus , a South American ray-finned fish that is endemic to the Paraguay-Paraná River basin*Tambaqui , known as black pacu, black-finned pacu, giant pacu*Philippine Association...
, with two rows of teeth adapted to eat plants.