Piaractus mesopotamicus

Pacú
Pacú
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Characiformes
Family:	Characidae
Subfamily:	Serrasalminae
Genus:	Piaractus
Species:	P. mesopotamicus
Binomial name
Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg, 1887)
Synonyms
Myletes edulis Myletes mesopotamicus Colossoma mitrei Colossoma canterai

Pacú (Piaractus mesopotamicus), pez chato ("flat fish"), mbiraí, or piraí, is a South American ray-finned fish that is endemic to the Paraguay-Paraná River basin, though it has been introduced by aquaculture activities in a wider area.

P. mesopotamicus is a robust fish, with ovoid shape, flattened laterally. Its colour is dark grey to silver, with a white belly and a yellow breast, and the laterals have small darker spots.

This fish is an omnivore. Young individuals usually feed on micro-crustaceans, but adults choose insects and plants, as well as nuts and seeds that fall from trees in flooded forests.

References

• "Piaractus mesopotamicus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=641578. Retrieved 24 January 2006. 
• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2005). "Piaractus mesopotamicus" in FishBase. 10 2005 version.
• Migratory fishes of the Upper Paraná River basin, Brazil. A. A. Agostinho, L. C. Gomes, H. I. Suzuki, H. Ferreira Júlio Jr. Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura (Nupelia). Universidade Estadual de Maringá. Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
• El Pato Web: Especies del Paraná (in Spanish)