Taxonomy of Finfish (1+2)

4.2.10 Rooseveltiella nattereri

Family: Characidae

Genus: Rooseveltiella

English name: Red Piranha

Origin: The Amazon: this species is very widely distributed.

Size: Approximately 30 cm in the wild but remains considerably smaller in captivity

Habitat: Found in a very wide variety of waters.

Shape, coloring and markings:

The body is deep, stocky and laterally very compressed. The keel of the belly is serrated from the pectoral fins. The caudal fin is slightly forked: the anal fin is long and sickle-shaped in adults. The colors and markings, as well as the depth of the body vary according to the age of the fish. Half-grown well-cared for specimens have a bluish or brownish-grey back: the flanks are paler or a greenish-brown with a strong silvery sheen and innumerable iridescent metallic specks and small dots. The belly and the area to the throat are vermilion or dark blood red. The dorsal and caudal fins are blackish, the latter with a lighter patch in the middle. The anal fin is red with a broad black edge. The pectoral and ventral fins are a dark vermilion.

There are no known external sexual characteristics.