Pristobrycon calmoni

Pristobrycon calmoni is a South American species of serrasalmid.

Habitat

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

This is a small and beautiful fish. Body discoid with the anterodorsal profile slightly curved in a "S" shape. Head robust and wide. Snout blunt. Preanal spine present. Adipose fin wide. Head silver with methalic orange to red at mandibular and opercular regions. Iris yellow. Body with greenish laterally and mixture of orange and red at the abdominal area. Body not covered with round or oval black spots. A single spot behind the opercular area above the pectoral fin. Fins pale except the anal that have the basal rays and membranes yellow or orange and the distal area black. Acaudal fin with a terminal black band.^[1]

Behaviour

This is a predatory fish which consumes smaller fish and attacks the fins of others. It eats juveniles and aquatic insects and crustaceans (shrimps). Its diet occasionally includes fruits from the surrounding gallery forest.

This is a solitary species and is never seen in schools.

Comments

Some authors ^[2] recognize two subspecies: Pristobrycon calmoni calmoni for the Amazonas (Brazil) and Pristobrycon calmoni bilineatus which is found in Venezuela and Guianas. The holotype probably is lost.

Bibliography

• Machado-Allison, A. y W. Fink. 1996. Los peces caribes de Venezuela: diagnosis, claves, espectos ecológicos y evolutivos. Universidad Central de Venezuela CDCH, (Colección Monografías) 52. 149p. ISBN 980-00-0967-1 Caracas, Venezuela.
• Gery, J. 1972. Poissons characoides de Guyanes II. Familie des Serrasalmidae. Zool. Verged Leiden, 122:134-248.

References