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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: small-scaled pacu
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification: H. A. Britski (personal communication) considers Piaractus mesopotamicus one of three valid large pacu species (the others are P. brachypomus and Colossoma macropomum). Commonly used synonyms include Piaractus metrei, Colossoma metrei, and Colossoma mesopotamicus. In his taxonomic review, Machado-Allison (1982) used the name P. metrei (Berg 1895). This, however, is a junior synonym of P. mesopotamicus. At least some, and perhaps all, specimens taken in United States waters and identified as this species may actually have been the closely related Piaractus brachypomus. In addition, Piaractus specimens taken in United States waters have frequently been misidentified as red piranhas Pygocentrus nattereri.
Size: To about 85 cm SL.
Native Range:
Tropical America. Restricted to the La Plata Basin, South America (Machado-Allison 1982).
Nonindigenous Occurrences: A single fish (56 cm and 3515 g) was reported as taken in Florida by an angler from a brackish-water canal at Sunshine Parkway bridge near town of Cape Coral, Charlotte Bay drainage, Lee County, on 4 July 1987 (Courtenay, personal communication). A single specimen (identified as Piaractus mesopotamicus) was taken in Oregon from Herbert's Pond near Canyonville, Douglas County, in the Umpqua River drainage on 21 August 1989 (Logan et al. 1996).
Means of Introduction: All records probably represent aquarium releases.
Status: Reported from Florida and Oregon.
Impact of Introduction: Unknown.
Remarks: The Florida specimen, originally reported as a piranha in newspaper
accounts, was not preserved. That specimen was apparently destroyed and
the fish was later identified as Colossoma metrei (= Piaractus mesopotamicus)
based on a photograph (Courtenay, personal communication). Because of
the close resemblance with other pacus, that identification should be
considered tentative.
Voucher specimens: Oregon (OS 11983).
Courtenay, W.R., Jr. - Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.
Machado-Allison, A. 1982. Estudio sobre la subfamilia Serrasalminae (Teleostei, Characidae). Prte 1. Estudio comparado de los juveniles de las "cachamas" de Venezuela (generos Colossoma y Piaractus). Acta Biologica Venezuelica 11(3):1-101.
Other Resources:
FishBase Fact Sheet
Author: Leo Nico
Revision Date: 11/13/2003 Citation for this information:
Leo Nico. 2009. Piaractus mesopotamicus. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=428> Revision Date: 11/13/2003
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