Serrasalmus

Pirambebas
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6.5 in (17 cm)-long juvenile Green Tiger Piranha (S. manueli)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Superclass:	Osteichthyes
Class:	Actinopterygii
Subclass:	Neopterygii
Infraclass:	Teleostei
Superorder:	Ostariophysi
Order:	Characiformes
Family:	Serrasalmidae
Genus:	Serrasalmus Lacepède, 1803
Type species
Salmo rhombeus Linnaeus, 1766
Species
See text

Serrasalmus is a genus of piranhas. They are collectively known as pirambebas; the "typical" piranhas like the Piraya Piranha are nowadays placed in Pygocentrus. Like all piranhas, Serrasalmus are native to South America.

These fish are predatory, have sharp teeth and generally have a rhomboid shape. In some, the shape is more ovoid, particularly in old specimens. Some Serrasalmus species can exceed 20 in or 510 mm (S. manueli and S. rhombeus, according to OPEFE), placing them among the largest Serrasalmidae.

Species

There are currently 31 recognized species in this genus:

• Serrasalmus altispinis Merckx, Jégu & dos Santos, 2000
• Serrasalmus altuvei Ramírez, 1965 (caribe azul)
• Serrasalmus auriventris (Burmeister, 1861)
• Serrasalmus brandtii Lütken, 1875 (White Piranha)
• Serrasalmus compressus Jégu, Leão & dos Santos, 1991
• Serrasalmus eigenmanni Norman, 1929
• Serrasalmus elongatus Kner, 1858 (Slender Piranha, "caribe pinche")
• Serrasalmus emarginatus (Jardine, 1841)
• Serrasalmus geryi Jégu & dos Santos, 1988 (Violet Line Piranha)
• Serrasalmus gibbus Castelnau, 1855
• Serrasalmus gouldingi W. L. Fink & Machado-Allison, 1992 (Blue Tiger Piranha)
• Serrasalmus hastatus W. L. Fink & Machado-Allison, 2001
• Serrasalmus hollandi (C. H. Eigenmann, 1915)
• Serrasalmus humeralis Valenciennes, 1850 (Pirambeba)
• Serrasalmus irritans (W. K. H. Peters, 1877) ("caribe pinche")
• Serrasalmus maculatus Kner, 1858 (Spotted Piranha)
• Serrasalmus manueli (Fernández-Yépez & Ramírez, 1967) (Green Tiger Piranha, caribe parguasero)
• Serrasalmus marginatus Valenciennes, 1837
• Serrasalmus medinai Ramírez, 1965 (Red-throated Piranha)
• Serrasalmus nalseni Fernández-Yépez, 1969 (caribe pintado)
• Serrasalmus neveriensis Machado-Allison, W. L. Fink, López Rojas & Rodenas, 1993
• Serrasalmus nigricans (Spix & Agassiz, 1829)
• Serrasalmus nigricauda (Burmeister, 1861)
• Serrasalmus odyssei Hubert & Renno, 2010
• Serrasalmus rhombeus (Linnaeus, 1766) (Redeye Piranha, caribe amarillo)
• Serrasalmus sanchezi Géry, 1964 (Sharp-snouted Piranha)
• Serrasalmus scotopterus (Jardine, 1841)
• Serrasalmus serrulatus (Valenciennes, 1850) (caribe cortador)
• Serrasalmus spilopleura Kner, 1858 (Speckled Piranha)
• Serrasalmus stagnatilis (Jardine, 1841)
• Serrasalmus undulatus (Jardine, 1841)

References

• OPEFE