''Pygopristis denticulata'', or the Lobetoothed Piranha is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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, fl ...

. These fish are part of the group

Ostariophysi Ostariophysi is the second-largest superorder of fish. Members of this superorder are called ostariophysians. This diverse group contains 10,758 species, about 28% of known fish species in the world and 68% of freshwater species, and are present ...

, a large group of freshwater fish that includes minnows and catfishes. It is a rare

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

n fish found in 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 ...

River basin, north and eastern

Guiana Shield The Guiana Shield (french: Plateau des Guyanes, Bouclier guyanais; nl, Hoogland van Guyana, Guianaschild; pt, Planalto das Guianas, Escudo das Guianas; es, Escudo guayanés) is one of the three cratons of the South American Plate. It is a ...

rivers, and tributaries of the lower

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

. Piranhas typically live in freshwater, but other specimens can be found elsewhere. Specimens of this species is frequently found in acidic clear or

black waters ''Black Waters'' is a 1929 British/American horror sound film produced by Herbert Wilcox and directed by Marshall Neilan. It was the first British-produced talking picture ever shown in England, but it was actually made in Hollywood since that is ...

. Piranhas are primarily known for being savage, flesh-eating fish, but they actually have broader diets. They usually feed on aquatic insects, small fish, and fruits.Machado-Allison, A. and W. Fink (1996). ''Los Peces Caribes de Venezuela. Diagnosis, claves, aspectos ecológicos y evolutivos''. Universidad Central de Venezuela, CDCV. (Colección Monografías), Caracas, , 149p. ''P. denticulata'' has pentacuspid teeth and a middle

cusp A cusp is the most pointed end of a curve. It often refers to cusp (anatomy), a pointed structure on a tooth. Cusp or CUSP may also refer to: Mathematics * Cusp (singularity), a singular point of a curve * Cusp catastrophe, a branch of bifurc ...

that is usually only slightly larger than the other cusps. This is unlike the piranhas, which have tricuspid teeth with a larger middle cusp, making the teeth appear triangular. ''P. denticulata'' grows to about 20.0 cm (7.9 in) in TL. It has 62 chromosomes. This fish possesses powerful dentition that can cause serious bites. It has scales.

References

Serrasalmidae Piranhas Monotypic fish genera Fish of Brazil Fish described in 1819 Taxa named by Georges Cuvier {{Characiformes-stub