''Pristobrycon'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

piranha A piranha or piraña (, , or ; or , ) is one of a number of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae, or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae in order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, ...

s from the

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

and

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

s, as well as rivers in

the Guianas The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * ...

. ''Pristobrycon'' is not

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

. No single morphological feature has been found that completely diagnoses this genus. ''P. striolatus'' is very different from other species of this genus. The genus ''Pristobrycon'' was created by

Eigenmann Eigenmann is a surname. Notable persons with that surname include: * Andi Eigenmann (born 1990), Filipino actress * Carl H. Eigenmann (1863–1927), German–American ichthyologist, husband of Rosa Eigenmann * Eduardo de Mesa Eigenmann, birth name ...

to include species which have intermediate characters between "the fierce ''Rooseveltiella'' ''Pygocentrus_nattereri''.html" ;"title="Pygocentrus_nattereri.html" ;"title="''Pygocentrus nattereri">''Pygocentrus nattereri''">Pygocentrus_nattereri.html" ;"title="''Pygocentrus nattereri">''Pygocentrus nattereri''without palatine teeth, and the less blood-thirsty ''Serrasalmus'' with a series of permanent teeth along the palatine". The author designed ''P. calmoni'' as the type species of the genus. Two groups are included in this genus. One group is characterized by presence of the preanal spine (only ''P. calmoni'') and the other group including the rest of the species assigned (''P. careospinus'', ''P. maculipinnis'' and ''P. striolatus'') (Fink & Machado-Allison, 1992; Machado-Allison et al., 1989; Machado-Allison & Fink, 1996). The

validity Validity or Valid may refer to: Science/mathematics/statistics: * Validity (logic), a property of a logical argument * Scientific: ** Internal validity, the validity of causal inferences within scientific studies, usually based on experiments ** ...

''P. aureus'' is questionable.

Species

There are currently five recognized species in this genus: * ''

Pristobrycon aureus ''Pristobrycon'' is a genus of piranhas from the Orinoco and Amazon Basins, as well as rivers in the Guianas. ''Pristobrycon'' is not monophyletic. No single morphological feature has been found that completely diagnoses this genus. ''P. striola ...

'' (

Spix Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix (9 February 1781 – 13 March 1826) was a German biologist. From his expedition to Brazil, he brought to Germany a large variety of specimens of plants, insects, mammals, birds, amphibians and fish. They constitute ...

& Agassiz, 1829) * ''

Pristobrycon calmoni ''Pristobrycon calmoni'' is a South American species of serrasalmid fish. Habitat It is mostly found in black or acidic waters, and in the turbid waters of the tributaries and main channel of the middle and low Orinoco River. Description Th ...

'' ( Steindachner, 1908) * ''

Pristobrycon careospinus ''Pristobrycon careospinus'' is a species of serrasalmid endemic of Venezuela. Habitat Habits mainly in black or acidic waters in Amazonas State of Venezuela (High Orinoco). The type locality is a lagoon near San Fernando de Atabapo in the ...

'' W. L. Fink & Machado-Allison, 1992 * ''

Pristobrycon maculipinnis ''Pristobrycon maculipinnis'', sometimes known as the marbled piranha, is a species of serrasalmid endemic to Venezuela. Habitat ''P. maculipinnis'' mainly inhabits black or clear acidic waters in the Orinoco basin in the state of Amazonas in ...

'' W. L. Fink & Machado-Allison, 1992 * '' Pristobrycon striolatus'' ( Steindachner, 1908)

Notes

References

* * Eigenmann, C. 1915. The Serrasalminae and Mylinae. ''Annals of the Carnegie Museum'', IX(3-4):226-272 + plates. * Fink, W. & A. Machado-Allison. 1992. Three new species of piranhas from Venezuela and Brazil. Ichthyological Explorations of Freshwaters, 2(1):57-71. * Machado/Allison, A. W. Fink & M.E. Antonio. 1989(1990). Revisión del género ''Serrasalmus'' (Lacepede, 1803) y géneros relacionados de Venezuela: I. notas sobre la morfología y sistemática de ''Pristobrycon striolatus'' (Steindachner, 1908). Acta Biologica Venezuelica, 12(3-4):140-171. * Machado-Allison & W. Fink. 1996. ''Los Peces Caribes de Venezuela: diagnosis, claves y aspectos ecológicos y evolutivos''. Universidad Central de Venezuela. CDCH (Colección Monografías). 149p. Serrasalmidae Taxa named by Carl H. Eigenmann Fish of South America {{Characiformes-stub