Arapaima
genus of fishes
The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche are several large species of bonytongue fish in the genus Arapaima.
| Arapaima | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Osteoglossiformes |
| Family: | Arapaimidae |
| Genus: | Arapaima J. P. Müller, 1843 |
| Type species | |
| Sudis gigas Schinz, 1822
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| Synonyms | |
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They are native to the Amazon and Essequibo basins of South America. These fish are widely dispersed and do not migrate. This makes scientists think that there are more species of arapaima that scientists have not found yet. [1]
Species
change- Arapaima agassizii (Valenciennes, 1847) (Agassiz's arapaima)
- Arapaima gigas (Schinz, 1822) (pirarucu, arapaima)
- Arapaima leptosoma D. J. Stewart, 2013 (slender arapaima; Solimoes arapaima)
- Arapaima mapae (Valenciennes, 1847) (Mapa arapaima)
Ecology
changeThe diet of the arapaima consists of fish, crustaceans, fruits, seeds, insects, and small land animals that walk near the shore. Arapaima can leap out of the water if they feel harassed or bullied.
Gallery
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Arapaima at the Shedd Aquarium -
Arapaima at the Manila Ocean Park -
Arapaima at the Cologne Zoological Garden -
Arapaima leptosoma at the zoo (sea aquarium) in Sevastopol -
Arapaima depicted on a 1954 postage stamp of British Guiana
References
change- ↑ Arantes, Caroline C., Leandro Castello, Mauricio Cetra, and Ana Schilling. "Environmental Influences on the Distribution of Arapaima in Amazon Floodplains." Environmental Biology of Fishes (2011): 1257-267. Print.