Hydrolycus armatus
| Hydrolycus armatus | |
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| Species: | H. armatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Hydrolycus armatus (Jardine, 1841)
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Hydrolycus armatus is a species of dogtooth characin found in freshwater of tropical South America.[1] It is sometimes known as the payara,[2][3][4] a name it shares with the related H. scomberoides.
This predatory fish occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade, but it requires a very large tank.[2] In its native range it is considered a major gamefish.[4]
Distribution and habitat
This species of fish is found in the Amazon, Orinoco and Essequibo basins in tropical South America.[1][5] They are found in several different freshwater habitats, but often in fast-flowing water.[4] It is locally common; in a major study of a Venezuelan floodplain river, 1⁄3 of the collected fish were H. armatus, and the species was particularly common in creeks and lagoons.[6]
Description
A typically reported maximum total length of this fish is 89 cm (2.92 ft),[1] but records show specimens up to 95 cm (3.12 ft) in Venezuela[3] and more than 100 cm (3.3 ft) in Brazil.[4] It typically weighs up to 8.5 kg (19 lb),[1] but can reach almost 18 kg (40 lb).[4] It has frequently been confused with the generally smaller H. scomberoides.[2][5] Like other dogtooth characins, it has very long pointed canine teeth. In H. armatus these can surpass 5 cm (2.0 in) in length in large individuals.[3] These are used for spearing their prey, usually other fish.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Hydrolycus armatus". FishBase. January 2017 version.
- ^ a b c SeriouslyFish: Hydrolycus armatus. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ^ a b c OPEFE: Payara Venezuela. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Payara—Hydrolycus armatus". Acute Angling. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Revision of the Neotropical fish genus Hydrolycus (Ostariophysi: Characiformes: Cynodontidae) with the description of two new species". Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters. 10 (3): 255–280. 1999.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|authors=ignored (help) - ^ "Patterns of habitat segregation among large fishes in a Venezuelan floodplain river". Neotrop. ichthyol. 3 (1). 2005. doi:10.1590/S1679-62252005000100007.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|authors=ignored (help) - ^ OPEFE: Hydrolycus. Retrieved 13 January 2017.