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L. Lovshin

Piaractus brachypomus   (Cuvier 1818)

Common Name: pirapatinga, red-bellied pacu

Taxonomy: available through

Identification: Machado-Allison (1982) revised the pacus and provided distinguishing characteristics for Piaractus brachypomus. Colossoma bidens and Colossoma brachypomum are junior synonyms that have been widely used in the aquarium literature and in most past reports concerning fish introductions. Many Piaractus taken in U.S. waters have been misidentified and reported as the red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri. This pacu species is also confused often with the other common pacu species, tambaqui Colossoma macropomum and possibly with Piaractus mesopotamicus. An unpublished mimeograph by Taylor (1985) used to identify pacus was apparently based on information provided by Britski (1977) and Machado-Allison (1982). For photographs, see Machado-Allison (1982), Géry (1977, identified as Colossoma sp. on pages 252 and 256) and Goulding (1980, identified as Colossoma bidens).

Size: 85 cm SL and 20 kg.

Native Range: Tropical America. Orinoco and Amazon river basins, South America (Machado-Allison 1982).

Alaska	Hawaii	Caribbean

Interactive maps: Continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, Caribbean

Nonindigenous Occurrences: A single fish (241 mm long) was taken in Alabama by an angler from Elk River in Limestone County on 29 August 1988 (museum specimen); the original newspaper account (Middleton 1988) incorrectly reported the fish as being a red piranha. A specimen was also collected in Lay Lake in Lower Coosa Basin in 2005 (Rider 2005) and in Magnolia River in 2002 (Hartman, pers. comm.).  Two fish were collected in North Sauty area of Guntersville Lake (Bonner 2005).  One fish was taken by an angler from a cemetery pond in Arkansas in Fayetteville, Washington County, in June 1995 (Wright 1995a, 1995b).  Species were also collected from the Hot Springs vacinity (Loe 2005). One pacu was captured in California at Stevens Creek Reservoir, Santa Clara County, on 4 July 1996 (R. N. Lea, personal communication). Four specimens were collected from Adobe Creek in Petaluma, California, in July 2000 (D. Logan, personal communication). A single fish was collected from private pond in a housing development just east of town of Delta, Colorado, in October 2004 (P. Walker, pers. comm.).  Specimen was collected in the Denver area (Anonymous 2004).  There are several records of single fish taken from various sites in Florida including a pond near Port Charlotte in DeSoto County in September 1983 (Courtenay, personal communication); Bivens Arm Lake in Gainesville, Alachua County, 5 December 1984 (museum specimen); a lake at St. Lucie West Development, just east of I-95/St. Lucie West interchange in St. Lucie County, 11 June 1991 (museum specimen); a retention pond at the Stoneridge Apartments in Gainesville, Alachua County, 5 September 1993 (museum specimen); Lake Alice, Gainesville, Alachua County, 22 January 1998; Turkey Creek in Palm Bay, Brevard County, 16 November 2000 (Ruiz-Carus and Davis 2003), artificial lake in Coral Springs in 2005 (Kelley, pers. comm.).  There are several records of single fish (identified as Colossoma bidens) taken from various sites in Georgia, including a private pond in Banks County in 1982, a private pond in Coweta County in 1987, and Big Cotton Indian Creek, east of Stockbridge in Henry County on 6 June 1990 (R. M. Gennings, personal communication).  A specimen was collected from Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS 2005).  A single fish was taken an by angler from Lake Tara in the Flint River drainage in September 1994 (museum specimen).  A fish was collected from Wahiawa Reservoir (=Lake Wilson), Oahu, Hawaii (Wright 2004).  A single fish taken with a trotline from the Mississippi River in Illinois, south of Chester, in or near Randolph County in September 1988; in an erroneous newspaper account (Anonymous 1988), it was identified as a piranha, but the accompanying photograph shows it to be Piaractus. Additional state records include a fish taken from Little Grassy Lake, Williamson County on 15 June 1992 (museum specimen); a single fish was taken from a campus lake at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Jackson County, on 22 June 1992 (Burr et al. 1996).  Two fish were collected from Bangs Lake (Chinwah 2005). A fish was collected in Fox River in Carpentersville in 2005 (TePas, pers. comm.).  One specimen was taken by a fisherman in the Brush Creek Reservoir, Indiana in August 2004 (L.Lehman, personal communication).  Another was taken in Oxbow Park, Hammond, Indiana, in June 2005 (D. Keller, personal communication).  A specimen was also caught in the Little Culumet River/Lake Michigan in Fall of 2003 (Simon and Breidert 2003).  Fish were collected from Cayuga Power Plant discharge in 2002 and 2005 (Keller, pers. comm.) A single fish was taken from Lake Barkley, Cumberland-Ohio River drainage, Kentucky, about river mile 56, in Trigg County, on 16 June 1993 (museum specimen). Another Kentucky pacu (based on a newspaper photograph probably this species) was taken from Lake Cumberland in 1991; it was incorrectly reported as a piranha in original newspaper account (see Lander 1991).  Pacus were collected from Caney Lake and Shreveport, Louisiana (Richie 2004) and Red River near Acme in 2005.  Collected from C S Mott and Glover's Lakes near Flint, Michigan (Bass Times Staff Reporter 2005).  The species is reported in Lakes Huron, Erie, Michigan, and Ontario (Cudmore-Vokey and Crossman 2000). The fish were collected from Bynum Run Park near Bel Air, Susquehanna River at Conowingo Pool near Peach Bottom, golf course in Calvert County, Susquehanna River near Port Deposit, and Swan Creek, Potomac drainage, Maryland (Maryland Department of Natural Resources 2004, 2005).  One specimen was taken in Massachusetts by an angler from Dug Pond in Natick, Middlesex County, in 1988 (Hartel 1992; Hartel et al. 1996); another was taken from Webster Lake, Webster in 1992 (Hartel 1992). A specimen identified as this species was taken in Minnesota from Taft Lake, Hennepin County (K. Schmidt, personal communication). Also collected from Tanner Lake in 2002 (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 2005).  There have been five records from Mississippi, all from the Pascagoula River drainage. Two specimens were originally identified as Colossoma species, the first collected at Lake Serene, Lamar County, in September 1990, and the second taken from a tributary in the Leaf River system, Forrest County, in July 1991 (Ross and Brenneman 1991; S.T. Ross, personal communication). There are two records of single specimens taken from West Lake in the Leaf River system, Lamar County, during the summer of 1992; another specimen was taken from a pond in the Leaf River system in Hattiesburg, in September 1982 (museum specimens; Ross, personal communication).  Specimens have been collected in Sardis Lake (Tallahatchie River) northwest of Oxford in northern Mississippi, Enid Lake, and Lake Patsy (Oxford) (Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 2003). Collected from Tchoutacabouffa River near Lil Joe's Cedar Lake Fishing Camp and Gautier (Jones 2003; Lukens, pers comm. 2003).  A single specimen was taken by an angler in southwest Missouri from Stockton Lake, Dade County, in August 1995 (T. J. Banek, personal communication).  Also collected from Longview Lake just southeast of Kansas City (Missouri Department of Conservation 2003).  A single specimen was taken by angler in Montana from Lake Elmo, Billings, in July 1994 (preserved specimen). This species has been taken from one or more sites in Nebraska; Welsch (1996) reported that piranhas were commonly taken in the state but the accompanying photograph of a local 'piranha' is that of a Piaractus brachypomus.  Collected from Tate Pond near Hudson, New Hampshire (AP 2005). This species was reported in Lake Ontario, New York (Cudmore-Vokey and Crossman 2000) and in Esopus Creek, NY (Arnold 2005). In North Carolina a single fish was taken with a hook and line from Elizabeth Lake, Insole County, in October 1991 (Lee 1991). Pacus were collected from Wauseon Reservoir and Ohio River near the mouth of Paddy Creek, in Rome Township, Ohio (Dick 2005; Stephens 2005).  A specimen was cought in Lake Texoma, Oklahoma on September 25, 2003 (Hysmith, pers. comm. 2003); two were caught near Catoosa in 2007 (K. Holcomb, pers. comm.).  A single specimen was taken in Oregon from the Willamette River near Portland in Multnomah County, on 4 July 1988; one or more other collections of pacu from other sites in the state also may represent this species (Logan et al. 1996).  One fish was collect from Fairfield Fish Culture Station at the edge of  West County Pond in Erie County, Pennsylvania in 2000 (Browser and Leighton 2000).  Specimens have been collected in the Ohio River near the towns of Industry and Glasgow (Dyer 2001).  Several single fish (identified as Colossoma brachypomum) were taken from various sites in Texas including Town Lake in Austin, Travis County, in 1980; Lake Bastrop, Bastrop County, during the summer of 1987; the Colorado River near Bastrop, Bastrop County, on 16 July 1987; a private pond near Cleburne, on 12 June 1989; a freshwater canal near Nederland, Jefferson County, on 4 June 1990; Gray's Hisle Camp, Tri Cities Beach Road, near Baytown, Harris County, on 31 July 1990; a creek adjacent to All American Rice Growers Canal, 9.7 km south of Dayton, Liberty County, on 17 October 1990 (an angler reported catching three additional specimens, which he released); the Colorado River 1.6 km upstream from Bastrop, on 26 August 1991 (Howells et al. 1991a). A single fish was also collected in Nasworthy Reservoir, Concho River, Tom Green County; Fort Phantom Hill Reservoir, Jones County; Lake Tyler, Smith County; Lake Granbury, Hood County; Gibbons Creek Reservoir, Grimes County; the Livingston Reservoir; Cypress Creek, Hays County; Trinity River; and Eagle Mountain Lake, near Ft. Worth, Tarrant County, Texas (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 2001; Anonymous 2004; L.Pearson personal communication). Specimens were collected in San Felipe Creek in Del Rio (Killin 2005), Palestine Reservoir, northeast Texas (Knight 2005), Cypress Creek, near Wimberly (Pearson 2000), and Belton Lake (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 1993).  A single fish was collected in Burke Lake in Burke Lake Park, Fairfax County, Virginia, in June 1988 (Bohn 1988). A fish was also collected in Smith Mountain Lake, Beford County (Conley 2005).  A single fish was collected in Medical Lake near Clear Lake, Spokane, Washington (Roesler 2003).

Means of Introduction: Most records likely represent aquarium releases, although some Florida and Georgia records may have resulted from fish farm escapes.

Status: Reported from 19 states including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indianan, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia.

Impact of Introduction: Unknown.

Remarks: This species is a popular aquarium fish. It is a prized food fish in South America. To date, records maintained by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on introduced foreign fishes show pacus identified as either Colossoma bidens (= Piaractus brachypomus) or as unidentified pacus. No Colossoma macropomum have yet been taken in Georgia. A fish taken from the Snake River in Oregon (OS 13217) was originally identified as Colossoma macropomum by Logan (1994), but one of us (LGN) examined this specimen and it more likely represents a hybrid between C. macropomum and Piaractus (also see Logan et al. 1996). All Texas specimens were taken by anglers and later identified by biologists of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Selected voucher specimens: Alabama: (UF 98946); Florida (UF 42782, 87879, 94136, 107100); Georgia (UF 98944); Illinois (SIUC 19835); Kentucky (SIUC 22241); Massachusetts (MCZ 96096); Mississippi (USM 14134, 14160, 14637); Montana (uncatalogued); Oregon (OS 11491); Texas (TNHC 11037).
Voucher photographs: Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Texas (video film), and Virginia.

References

Anonymous. 1988. Mighty Mississippi is full of secrets. Chester Herald Tribune (Randolph County Herald Tribune), 21 September 1988.

Anonymous. 2004. Hot Spot Fishing Records, Pacu. Available at URL http://www.hotspotfishing.com/records/default.asp.

Banek, T. J. - Fisheries Management Biologist, Missouri Department of Conservation, Springfield, MO.

Bohn, J. 1988. Toothy fish puts the bite on Burke Lake angler. Washington Post, 4 June 1988. pp. G1, G3-G4.

Britski, H. 1977. Sobre o género Colossoma (Pisces-Characidae). Suplemento Ciencia y Cultura, Brasil, 29(7):810.

Burr, B. - Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.

Courtenay, W.R., Jr. - Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.

Cudmore-Vokey, B. and E.J. Crossman. 2000. Checklists of the fish fauna of the Laurentian Great Lakes and their connecting channels. Can. MS Rpt. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2500: v + 39p.

Gennings, R.M. - Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Atlanta, GA. Response to NBS-G nonindigenous questionaire.

Géry, J. 1977. Characoids of the world. Tropical Fish Hobbyist Publications, Inc., Neptune City, NJ.

Goulding, M. 1980. Fishes of the forest: explorations in Amazonian natural history. University of California Press, Los Angeles, CA.

Hartel, K. E. 1992. Non-native fishes known from Massachusetts freshwaters. Occasional Reports of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Fish Department, Cambridge, MA. 2. September. pp. 1-9.

Howells, R. G., R. L. Benefield, and J. M. Mambretti. 1991. Records of pacus (Colossoma spp.) and piranhas (Serrasalmus spp.) in Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife, Management Data Series 70, Austin, TX. 4 pp.

Lander, A., Jr. 1991. Woman snares piranha in Lake Cumberland. Lexington Herald-Leader (September 29):D14, Lexington, Kentucky.

Lee, M.C. 1991. Angler hooks toothy catch. The Daily News, Jacksonville, NC, 18 October 1991. Pp. B1-2.

Lehman, L. - Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Vallonia, IN.

Logan, D. J. 1994. A checklist of the fishes of Benton County, Oregon. American Currents 1994(Summer):16-18.

Logan, D.J. - National Marine Fisheries Service, Santa Rosa, CA.

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.

Middleton, K. 1988. Man-eating fish found in river. Athens News Courier, 1 September 1988. 105(177):1-2.

Pearson, L. - Austin, Texas.

Roesler, R. 2003. Freed pets taking over. Spokeman Review. October 27, 2003.

Ross, S.T. - University of Southern Mississippi, Museum of Ichthyology.

Ross, S. T., and W. M. Brenneman. 1991. Distribution of freshwater fishes in Mississippi. manuscript. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Jackson, MS. 548 pp.

Ruiz-Carus, R. and S.B. Davis. 2003. Register of an exceptionally large redbellied pacu, Piaractus brachypomus (Teleostei, Characidae), in East-Central Florida, with gonad and diet analyses. Florida Scientist. 66(3): 184-188.

Taylor, J. N. 1985. Key to the species of the genus Colossoma (Characidae: Serrasalminae) (II:26:85). Unpublished mimeograph. 3 pp.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 2001. Fish Records: Water Body - All Tackle. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. April 24, 2001.

Welsch, R. L. 1996. Something's fishy in the cornbelt: jaws. Natural History 105(8):66-67.

Wright, S. 1995a. A fishy situation. Northwest Arkansas Times (Fayetteville), 7 June 1995, 129(350):A1.

Wright, S. 1995b. Piranha or pacu? it's still a whale of a fish tale. Northwest Arkansas Times (Fayetteville), 7 June 1995, 129(350):B6.

Other Resources:
FishBase Fact Sheet

Author: Leo Nico and Pam Fuller

Revision Date: 10/11/2007

Citation for this information:
Leo Nico and Pam Fuller. 2009. Piaractus brachypomus. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=427> Revision Date: 10/11/2007

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