Pygopristis
| Pygopristis denticulata | |
|---|---|
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| Genus: | Pygopristis
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| Species: | P. denticulata
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Pygopristis denticulata is a species of piranha and is the only species of the genus Pygopristis. It is a rare South American fish found in the Orinoco River basin, north and eastern Guiana Shield rivers, and tributaries of the lower Amazon River.[1]
Pygopristis has pentacuspid teeth and a middle cusp that is usually only slightly larger than the other cusps. This is unlike other piranha, which have tricuspid teeth with a larger middle cusp making the teeth appear triangular.[2]
P. denticulata grows to about 20.0 centimetres (7.9 in) TL.[1] P. denticulata has 62 chromosomes.[2]
This fish possesses powerful dentition that can cause serious bites.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2007). "Pygopristis denticulata" in FishBase. July 2007 version.
- ^ a b Freeman, Barbie (2007). "Molecular systematics of Serrasalmidae: Deciphering the identities of piranha species and unraveling their evolutionary histories" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1484: 1–38.
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