Pristobrycon striolatus
Encyclopedia
Pristobrycon striolatus (Steindachner, 1908) is a species
of fish
of the subfamily
Serrasalminae
which includes the "caribes" or "piranha
s".
and Amazon River
Basins.
is blunt. A preanal spine is absent. The adipose fin is wide. The head os silver
with metallic orange to red at the mandibular
and opercular
regions. Its iris is yellow. Its body is greenish laterally and a mixture of orange and red at the abdominal
area, covered with "pepper-like" spots. It has a single spot in the opercular area above the pectoral fin origin. Fins have reddish tones. Its caudal fin has an angled basal black band.
s and crustacean
s (shrimps). Occasionally, diet includes fruits from the surrounding gallery forest. This is a solitary, non-schooling species.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of 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...
of the subfamily
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Serrasalminae
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:...
which includes the "caribes" or "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".
Range and habitat
P. striolatus inabits mainly black or acidic waters in tributaries in the OrinocoOrinoco
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia...
and Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
Basins.
Description
This small and beautiful fish reaches 10–30 cm (3.9–11.8 ). Its body is discoid with the anterodorsal profile slightly curved or straight. The head is robust and wide. Its snoutSnout
The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw.-Terminology:The term "muzzle", used as a noun, can be ambiguous...
is blunt. A preanal spine is absent. The adipose fin is wide. The head os silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
with metallic orange to red at the mandibular
Mandible
The mandible pronunciation or inferior maxillary bone forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place...
and opercular
Operculum (fish)
The operculum of a bony fish is the hard bony flap covering and protecting the gills. In most fish, the rear edge of the operculum roughly marks the division between the head and the body....
regions. Its iris is yellow. Its body is greenish laterally and a mixture of orange and red at the abdominal
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
area, covered with "pepper-like" spots. It has a single spot in the opercular area above the pectoral fin origin. Fins have reddish tones. Its caudal fin has an angled basal black band.
Feeding
Along with other members of the group, P. striolatus is a predator, consuming smaller fish and attacking fins. Juveniles eat aquatic insectInsect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s (shrimps). Occasionally, diet includes fruits from the surrounding gallery forest. This is a solitary, non-schooling species.