Brycon opalinus

Brycon opalinus
Brycon opalinus
Systematics
Otophysa Order : Tetras (Characiformes) Family : Bryconidae Subfamily : Bryconinae Genre : Brycon Type : Brycon opalinus
Scientific name
Brycon opalinus
( Cuvier , 1819)

Brycon Opalinus in Brazil called Piabanha, Pirapetinga or Pirapitinga do Sul, one of the Characins (Characiformes) in South America .

Occurrence

Brycon opalinus lives endemically mainly in the river basin of the Rio Paraíba do Sul and its tributaries such as the Paraibuna, Ipiranga or Rio Grande in the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in southeastern Brazil . Their occurrence is thus limited to forest rivers of the Atlantic rainforest . They live in the mountainous region of the northern zone of an extensive ombrophylic forest (Araucarien forest) with a large number of endemic fish species that live there in waters with cooler water temperatures.

description

The fish grows to about 26 centimeters long, sometimes up to 35 centimeters under favorable living conditions.

Way of life

Brycon opalinus is predominantly herbivorous and feeds on fruits and seeds. Brycon opalinus spawns in three seasons: spring, summer and winter. The species shows no migratory behavior over long stretches and the parent animals also do a kind of brood care for the young fish. At spawning time, the fish species forms schools and spawns in water zones that are favorable for the young fish to grow up.

Economical meaning

Brycon fish are of economic importance in commercial and subsistence fisheries.

Endangerment status

According to the IUCN, Brycon opalinus is considered endangered. In the DOU declaration of May 21, 2004, the species was declared critically endangered and any type of fishing or removal from the water was prohibited, with the exception of scientific purposes. During the conquest and colonization of the state of São Paulo, the gallery forests of the Atlantic rainforest were badly affected. In addition, hydraulic engineering measures such as the construction of the Paraibuna and Paraitinga dams and the Funil dam have caused lasting damage to the river ecosystem. Other negative factors are water pollution and food shortages. To survive, B. opalinus needs good water quality (low turbidity and high oxygen content ) as well as the existence of dense river forests.

Web links

• Renata Melon Barrosoa, Alexandre WS Hilsdorf, Heden LM Moreira, Pedro H. Cabello and Yara M. Traub-Csekod: Genetic diversity of wild and cultured populations of Brycon opalinus (Cuvier, 1819) (Characiforme, Characidae, Bryconiae) using microsatellites, Aquaculture , Vol. 247, June 30, 2005, pp. 51-65

Notes and individual references

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Brycon opalinus on Fishbase.org (English)
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bjb/v67n3/20.pdf LM Gomiero and FMS Braga: Reproduction of Pirapitinga do Sul (Brycon opalinus Cuvier, 1819) in the Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar-Núcleo Santa Virgínia, São Paulo, Brazil
3. ↑ AWS Hilsdorf and JR Petrere: Conservação de Peixes na Bacia do Rio Paraíba do Sul, Ciência Hoje, Vol. 30, No. 180, pp. 62-65
4. ↑ Pirapetinga Brycon opalinus - ICM Bio Instituto Chico Mendes MMA
5. ↑ called Piracema
6. ↑ Diário Oficial da União - official daily newspaper of the Union