Piranha Pygocentrus Nattereri Research Articles

Glomerulocystic kidney in two red piranhas Pygocentrus nattereri.

Glomerulocystic kidney (GCK) is defined by a dilatation of the Bowman's space (greater than 2 times the normal size) of more than 5% of all glomeruli. Although GCK has been occasionally documented in dogs, cats, and humans with renal failure, in fish, reports of spontaneous GCK are rare. For the present study, 2 captive adult red piranhas Pygocentrus nattereri from a closed population were submitted for post-mortem examination. Clinical history included lethargy, inappetence, dyspnea, and altered buoyancy. Macroscopically, the fish displayed coelomic distension and ascites. The kidneys were markedly enlarged and dark yellow. Histologically, Bowman's space was noticeably dilated, occasionally with atrophic glomerular tufts. Degeneration and necrosis of the tubular epithelium, infiltration, and nephrocalcinosis were also present. To the authors' knowledge, this present study is the first report of spontaneously occurring GCK in red piranhas and freshwater fish in general. Despite being rare, GCK is a condition with the potential to impair the health of fish and mammals, and further studies are needed to shed new light on this condition.

Heterologous Production and Evaluation of the Biological Activity of Cystatin-B From the Red Piranha Pygocentrus nattereri.

Cystatin proteins are known to form a superfamily of cysteine protease inhibitors, which play a key role in protein degradation and are related to different physiological processes, such as development and immunity. Currently, numerous immunoregulatory proteins, such as cystatins, are being used in the control and prevention of diseases in aquaculture. Thus, the objective of this study was to produce recombinant cystatin (rCYST-B) from the red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri and to evaluate its effect on bacterial growth. The gene that encodes cystatin-B was isolated from the spleen of P. nattereri and cloned in an expression system. The protein was produced via a heterologous system involving the yeast Pichia pastoris X-33. The inhibitory activity of purified cystatin-B was evaluated on papain using different concentrations (0–80.0 μg/μL) of rCYST-B. The bacteriostatic action of the protein was evaluated using the Kirby-Bauer method on the growth of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. rCYST-B showed 100% inhibition at a concentration of 60 μg/μL. Moreover, the bacteriostatic activity of E. coli and B. subtilis showed inhibition of 40.36 and 49.08% compared to the negative control (phosphate buffer), respectively. These results suggest that recombinant CYST-B has biotechnological potential for use in aquaculture.

New insights into patterns and rates of tooth replacement in serrasalmid and characid fishes, with implications for the subsistence fishery of Peru's remote ribereños villages.

We explored patterns, rates and unexpected socio-ecological consequences of tooth replacement in serrasalmids and characids of the Peruvian Amazon using microcomputed tomography. Of 24 specimens collected in February 2019, representing a mix of red-bellied piranha Pygocentrus nattereri, redeye piranha Serrasalmus rhombeus, silver dollar fish Ctenobrycon hauxwellianus and mojara Astyanax abramis, six individuals possessed edentulous jaw quadrants. On average, 22.9% of fish collected per day from these species featured incomplete dentition, a value three to five times higher than anticipated based on replacement rates estimated from captive fish, differences that may be driven by ontogeny, seasonality or environmental quality.

Semiquantitative determination of total mercury in Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, 1858 and sediment at the plateau of Upper Paraguai River, Brazil

In this study an environmental assessment of contamination by total mercury (THg) was carried out at the Plateau of the Upper Paraguai River. Total mercury was evaluated in sediment and muscle of the red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, 1858, a piscivorous species at the top of the food chain consumed for subsistence and commercially. THg concentrations were below national guidelines established by WHO for sediments (100 ng g−1) and fish (100–600 ng g−1) for most of the sampled sites. Two sites located downstream of artisanal diamond and gold mines had THg concentrations in fish equal or greater than 600 ng g−1.

Predator diet, origin or both? Factors determining responses of omnivorous amphipods to predation cues

Detection of chemical cues of predators and food resources is a key for the behaviour of many species in aquatic ecosystems. We checked whether predator origin and diet, containing potential food and/or alarm signals, affect the behaviour of omnivorous prey partly sharing their diet with a top predator. We conducted y-maze experiments to study the responses of invasive omnivorous and cannibalistic amphipods (Dikerogammarus villosus and Pontogammarus robustoides) to chemical cues of fish predators, injured amphipods and chironomid larvae (common amphipod food). As the predators, we used the goby Babka gymnotrachelus (sympatric with the amphipods) and piranha Pygocentrus nattereri (allopatric to the amphipods). The fish were either starved or fed amphipods or chironomids. D. villosus preferred predators fed chironomids and conspecifics as well as crushed conspecifics and chironomids, but avoided both hungry predators. Thus, D. villosus may perceive the presence of a top predator as an indication of both food resource and predation risk. P. robustoides avoided predators fed both amphipods (particularly conspecifics) and their alarm substances. The responses of both species depended more on the predator diet than on its species, which is likely to facilitate the recognition of allopatric predators and survival in newly invaded areas.

Risk screening of non-native freshwater fishes at the frontier between Asia and Europe: first application in Turkey of the fish invasiveness screening kit

The aim of the present study was to assess the invasive potential of introduced non-native and translocated fishes in Turkey (Anatolia and Thrace) by applying the Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit (FISK), a risk identification tool for freshwater fishes. From independent evaluations by two assessors of 35 species, calibration of FISK for Turkey identified a threshold score of 23, which reliably distinguished between potentially invasive (high risk) and potentially non-invasive (medium to low risk) fishes for Anatolia (Asia) and Thrace (Europe). No species was categorized as ‘low risk’, 18 species were categorized as ‘medium risk’ and 17 as ‘high risk’ (two being ‘moderately high risk’, nine ‘high risk’, and six ‘very high risk’). The highest scoring species was gibel carp Carassius gibelio, whereas the lowest scoring species was Caucasian dwarf goby Knipowitschia caucasica, a translocated species. Assessor certainty in their responses averaged overall between ‘mostly uncertain’ and ‘mostly certain’, with red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri and topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva achieving the lowest and highest certainty values, respectively, and with overall significant differences in certainty between assessors. The results of the present study indicate that FISK is a useful and viable tool for identifying potentially invasive non-native fishes in Turkey, a country characterized by natural biogeographical frontiers.

A new species of Philometra Costa, 1845 (Nematoda: Philometridae) from the freshwater fish (red piranha) Pygocentrus nattereri Kner (Characidae) in Amazonia, Brazil.

A new nematode species, Philometra nattereri n. sp. (Philometridae), is described from female specimens found in the oculo-orbits and nasal cavity of the red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri Kner (Characiformes: Characidae) from five lakes in Central Amazonia, Brazil, collected in 2008 and 2009 (overall prevalence 12%, intensity 1-3 nematodes per fish). Based on light and scanning electron microscopical examination, the new species differs from most other congeners parasitising freshwater fishes in that its oesophageal gland extends anteriorly far anterior to the level of the nerve-ring, in the presence of 14 small cephalic papillae arranged in two circles and in having two minute caudal projections. This is the first species of Philometra Costa, 1845 reported from fishes of the family Characidae and the second valid species of this genus parasitic in freshwater fishes of Brazil and South America.

Acoustic Communication: Sound Advice from Piranhas

An elegant new study has correlated the generation of sound patterns in the red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) with three distinct behaviours.

Spatio-temporal segregation and size distribution of fish assemblages as related to non-native species occurrence in the middle rio Doce Valley, MG, Brazil

The lakes in the middle rio Doce Valley (MG) are suffering impacts due to the introduction of invasive fish species, mainly piscivorous species like red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri and peacock bass Cichla kelberi. Fishes were collected in bimonthly samples conducted at ten lakes along a year. The present study showed that the composition of native fish assemblages is significantly related to the presence and type of non-native species. Fish species distribution among lakes can be explained by differences in species body size: smaller native species are less concentrated in lakes with invasive piscivores, which is in accordance with the hypothesis that they have greater susceptibility to predation by invaders. Another probable cause for this correlation is the proximity of lakes to the drainage system, which could explain both the non-native incidence and the turnover of native species composition. Furthermore, temporal variability in species composition was significantly higher in invaded lakes. This last factor may be linked to seasonal flood pulses, which carry immigrant fishes from streams in the vicinity. The metacommunity framework can bring insights for future studies in such spatially structured systems, and the approach should improve our understanding of processes underlying species composition as well as help direct conservation-focused management plans.

The inverted trophic cascade in tropical plankton communities: impacts of exotic fish in the Middle Rio Doce lake district, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The present study deals with the ecological impacts of the introduction of two alien species of piscivorous fish in several lakes of the Middle Rio Doce lake district in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was demonstrated that these effects were not restricted only to the fish community. The introduction of the predatory red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri and the tucunaré Cichla cf. ocellaris caused not only a sharp decrease in the number of native fish species, but also major shifts in other trophic levels. Just after the fish were introduced, most lakes began to show conspicuous changes in phytoplankton species composition, in which Cyanophyceae gradually came to dominate. The zooplankton community lost several species, and in some cases, such as Lake Carioca, all the cladoceran species disappeared. On the other hand, invertebrate predators, represented by the dipteran Chaoboridae, boomed in the lake, with higher densities of exotic species, probably as a result of the 'ecological release' by reduction of the original fish fauna. There was a general trend of species loss in different trophic levels. All these changes are apparently associated with decreases in water quality. The present situation in these lakes demands new approaches to the management and conservation of these ecosystems.

Detection of betanodaviruses in apparently healthy aquarium fishes and invertebrates

Betanodaviruses are the causative agents of viral nervous necrosis (VNN) in cultured marine fish. A total of 237 apparently healthy aquarium fish, marine (65 species) and freshwater (12 species) fishes and marine invertebrates (4 species), which were stocked in a commercial aquarium in Seoul, South Korea, were collected from November 2005 to February 2006. The brains of the fish and other tissues of the invertebrates were examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nested PCR to detect betanodavirus. Positive nested PCR results were obtained from the brains of 8 marine fish species (shrimp fish Aeoliscus strigatus, milkfish Chanos chanos, three spot damsel Dascyllus trimaculatus, Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus, pinecone fish Monocentris japonica, blue ribbon eel Rhinomuraena quaesita, look down fish Selene vomer, yellow tang Zebrasoma flavesenes), 1 marine invertebrate species (spiny lobster Pamulirus versicolor), and 2 freshwater fish species (South American leaf fish Monocirrhus polyacanthus and red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri). The detection rate in nested PCR was 11/237 (4.64%). These subclinically infected aquarium fish and invertebrates may constitute an inoculum source of betanodaviruses for cultured fishes in the Korean Peninsula.

Host-parasite interactions between the piranha Pygocentrus nattereri (Characiformes: Characidae) and isopods and branchiurans (Crustacea) in the rio Araguaia basin, Brazil

In the tropics, studies on the ecology of host-parasite interactions are incipient and generally related to taxonomic aspects. The main objective of the present work was to analyze ecological aspects and identify the metazoan fauna of ectoparasites that infest the piranha, Pygocentrus nattereri. In May 2002, field samples were collected in the rio Araguaia basin, State of Goiás (Brazil). A total of 252 individuals of P. nattereri were caught with fishhooks and 32.14% were infested with ectoparasite crustaceans. The recorded ectoparasites were branchiurans, Argulus sp. and Dolops carvalhoi and the isopods Braga patagonica, Anphira branchialis and Asotana sp. The prevalence and mean intensity of branchiurans (16.6% and 1.5, respectively) and isopods (15.5% and 1.0, respectively) were similar. Isopods were observed in the gills of the host; branchiurans were more frequent where the skin was thinner, and facilitated attachment and feeding. The ventral area, the base of the pectoral fin and the gular area were the most infested areas. The correlations between the standard length of the host and the variables intensity and prevalence of crustaceans parasitism, were significant only for branchiurans (rs = 0.2397, p = 0.0001; chi2 = 7.97; C = 0.19). These results suggest that both feeding sites and body size probably play an important role in the distribution and abundance of ectoparasites.

Host–parasite interaction between branchiurans (Crustacea: Argulidae) and piranhas (Osteichthyes: Serrasalminae) in the Pantanal wetland of Brazil

Ecological studies of host–parasite interactions in the tropics are generally restricted to descriptive taxonomic aspects. The present study had as its objective identification of the metazoan ectoparasites of piranhas Pygocentrus nattereri, Serrasalmus spilopleura and S. marginatus in lentic and lotic environments in the Pantanal region, Brazil. We collected the samples in the Miranda River basin and in three ponds. We caught fishes using hook and line. We found that branchiuran crustaceans infested about 30% of the piranhas. We found four branchiuran species: Dolops carvalhoi, Argulus elongatus, Argulus aff. juparanaensis and Dipterolpetis hirundo, which represent new findings in host–parasite relationships in the Neotropics. When comparing lotic and lentic environments, we observed higher infestation rates in rivers than in ponds for all the hosts. P. nattereri had the highest prevalence and the intensity rates in both the environments. The body parts of hosts with the highest frequencies of parasitism were the ventral area in P. nattereri, the gullet area in S. spilopleura and ventral areas and external gills in S. marginatus. In relation to the prevalence of the parasites we observed significant differences between the hydrological seasons and the piranha species, nevertheless hosts were more parasitized in the dry season. The species with highest rates of infestation, P. nattereri and S. spilopleura, live in schools, which indicates that the high parasite load may be a direct consequence of the proximity between individuals. We believe that the higher rates of infestation in the dry season result from the increase in host density in drying ponds imitating the conditions found in fish farming. Seasonal changes in water level and temperature can also influence the rates of parasitism.

Cold Tolerance and Potential Overwintering of the Red-Bellied PiranhaPygocentrus nattereriin the United States

Abstract Red-bellied piranhas Pygocentrus nattereri (also known as red piranhas) acclimated to 15–35°C had critical thermal minima (± SD) from 10.5 ± 0.31°C to 19.7 ± 1.25°C. The chronic thermal minimum (± SD) based on equilibrium loss of fish exposed to decreasing water temperatures of 1°C/d was 10.0 ± 0.15°C. Acclimation temperature incorporated into a second-order polynomial regression model accounted for 97% of variation in critical thermal minima. Fish in the laboratory were unable to capture live goldfish Carassius auratus at temperatures less than 14°C but accepted frozen adult brine shrimp Artemia sp. attemperatures as low as 12°C. When combined with shallow surface water temperature estimates for January, our temperature tolerance and feeding behavior data suggested that red-bellied piranhas may overwinter in nine southern states of the USA with varying degrees of success. Red-bellied piranhas would not overwinter where temperatures fall below 10°C. These fish could overwinter at temperatures of ...