Animal Profiles
Fish

Red-bellied pacu

Piaractus brachypomus

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

The red-bellied pacu is a deep-bodied South American freshwater fish. Seasonal floods change its food supply, with fruit and seeds becoming especially important when rivers reach surrounding vegetation.

Red-bellied pacu (Piaractus brachypomus), labelled with the older name Colossoma brachypomus, at the New England Aquarium.

Red-bellied pacu (Piaractus brachypomus), labelled with the older name Colossoma brachypomus, at the New England Aquarium.

No machine-readable author provided. Stevenj assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA

At a glance

Location
This account follows Piaractus brachypomus in Amazonian waters. The older source also uses a broader Orinoco treatment, so that historical range is not assigned uncritically to modern species. Floodplain habitats are especially important to young fish.
Habitat
Rivers and lakes, Wetlands
Diet
Omnivore
Food
Fruit and seeds are important in the wet season.

Classification

Common name
Red-bellied pacu
Browse group
Fish
Scientific name or taxon
Piaractus brachypomus
Taxon rank
species
Order
Characiformes
Family
Serrasalmidae
Genus
Piaractus

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • It eats fruit and seeds.
  • Its diet changes seasonally.
  • Floodplain waters support young fish.

Habitat and range

This account follows Piaractus brachypomus in Amazonian waters. The older source also uses a broader Orinoco treatment, so that historical range is not assigned uncritically to modern species. Floodplain habitats are especially important to young fish.

Appearance and adaptations

Silvery sides darken towards the back, while red colouring can appear on the belly and lower fins. The broad body can resemble a piranha, but the two should not be identified by shape alone.

Diet and behaviour

Fruit and seeds are important in the wet season. Crustaceans and smaller fishes also enter the diet, particularly as conditions change. Movements and reproduction follow the annual rise and fall of river water.

Sources

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