Pristobrycon striolatus

Pristobrycon striolatus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Characiformes
Family:	Serrasalmidae
Genus:	Pristobrycon
Species:	P. striolatus
Binomial name
Pristobrycon striolatus (Steindachner, 1908)
Synonyms
Serrasalmo scapularis Gunther, 1864 (misapplied) Serrasalmo striolatus Steindachner, 1908 Serrasalmus striolatus (Steindachner, 1908) in Norman, 1929 Pygocentrus striolatus (Steindachner, 1908) in Fernández-Yépez, 1969 Pygopristis gibbosus Starks, 1913 Pristobrycon baratai Amaral Campos, 1946 Pygopristis antoni Fernández-Yépez, 1965 Serrasalmus antoni (Fernández-Yepez, 1965)

Pristobrycon striolatus is a species of serrasalmid fish.

Range and habitat

Pristobrycon striolatus inhabits mainly black or acidic waters in tributaries in the Orinoco and Amazon River Basins.

Description

This small and beautiful fish reaches 10–30 centimetres (3.9–11.8 in). Its body is discoid with the anterodorsal profile slightly curved or straight. The head is robust and wide. Its snout is blunt. A preanal spine is absent. The adipose fin is wide. The head is 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. The fins have reddish tones. Its caudal fin has an angled basal black band.^[1]

Feeding

Like other piranhas, P. striolatus is a predator, consuming smaller fish and attacking fins. Juveniles eat aquatic insects and crustaceans (shrimps). Occasionally, its diet includes fruits from the surrounding gallery forest. This is a solitary, non-schooling species.

References