Redeye piranha
(Serrasalmus rhombeus)
General data
The redeye piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus), also known as the black piranha, white piranha, spotted piranha or yellow piranha, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a piranha from the family Serrasalmidae.
The redeye piranha is one of the larger species of piranha. It has a distinctively, rhombus-shaped body, solidly coloured from grey through to nearly black. Whatever the body colour, this species has red eyes. The colour of juveniles can be more mottled than in adults. As they mature their silvery body becomes less mottled and changes to a darker grey or black colour. How dark the fish become depends on the local water conditions; fish in Peru appear to be the darkest and may be almost jet black.
The maximum recorded fish measurement standard length is 41.5 centimetres (16.3 in), although a more normal length is around 32 centimetres (13 in), and they attain a maximum weight of 3.0 kilograms (6.6 lb).
Distribution
The redeye piranha is found in northern South America, east of the Andes. They are found in the drainage systems of the Amazon and Orinoco as well as the Essequibo River and other rivers of the Guiana Shield and the coastal rivers of northeastern Brazil. It has been introduced to Florida but is now extirpated.
