| Pygocentrus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Characidae |
| Subfamily: | Serrasalminae |
| Genus: | Pygocentrus J. P. Müller & Troschel, 1844 |
Pygocentrus is a genus of the piranha family Characidae. All are native to tropical South America. It is mainly located in the Amazon, San Francisco and Orinoco rivers. Three especies are fully recognized. P. cariba (Humboldt, 1821) in the Orinoco; P. nattereri Kner, 1869 in the Amazonas: and P. piraya (Cuvier, 1819) in the San Francisco River. P. palometa Valenciennes, 1850 is a dubious species (Fink, 1993; Machado-Allison and Fink, 1996). All the species are predatory, scavengers and form huge schools. The Chi-Cohala tribe uses the teeth to make tools and weapons.