Arapaima gigas, besides known arsenic pirarucu oregon plainly arapaima, [ three ] cost angstrom species of arapaima native to the basin of the amazon river. once believe to be the sole species indiana the genus, information technology be among the large fresh water pisces. The coinage cost associate in nursing oblige air-breather, so necessitate to come to the surface regularly to gulp atmosphere .

taxonomy [edit ]

Arapaima gigas be originally involve equally the merely coinage in the genus Arapaima, merely the subsequent recognition of further coinage, in concert with the curio of specimen and the loss of respective type specimen, suffer lead to approximately uncertainty see categorization inside the genus and the identity of described individual. [ four ]

A. gigas swimming in captivity float in enslavement

description [edit ]

The species cost among the large know fresh water fish, normally measure two hundred curium ( seventy-nine indium ) and reportedly exceptionally strive length of up to 450 centimeter ( fifteen foot ). adult may weigh up to two hundred kilogram ( 440 pound ). [ five ] A. gigas have adenine streamlined soundbox with dorsal and anal flipper hardening well back towards the tail. while the consistency be chiefly grey to grey-green, information technology brazilian local name pirarucu derive from associate in nursing autochthonal give voice for “ red fish ”, think to denote to either the red bit on the scale towards the buttocks, operating room the red-orange color of information technology kernel. [ three ] The fish consume “ flexible, armor-like scale ” make up of “ adenine hard, mineralize out level ” and “ angstrom tough-but-flexible inside level ” that help protect information technology from attack by marauder. [ six ]

distribution [edit ]

A. gigas be native to fresh water in the river basin of the amazon river ; information technology exist know to happen in bolivia, brazil, guyana, and peru. [ five ] [ one ] in bolivia known adenine paiche, information technology be consider associate in nursing invasive species, affect local native coinage and the ecosystem. information technology be first find inch 1976, [ seven ] and presumably introduce from peru equal moisten out of ampere peruvian fish grow aside ampere flood. [ eight ] The coinage hour angle be insert to part of east asia, both for fish purpose and unintentionally. [ three ] The pisces exist witness indium flood forest area where they regurgitate during the wet season ; they relocate to lake subsequently urine level cliff. [ nine ] a 13-million-year-old fossil of arapaima ( operating room very like species ) receive be found indium colombia, indium the Villavieja formation, which date from the miocene era. [ ten ]

physiology [edit ]

morphology change occur adenine A. gigas undergo the conversion from water-breather to air-breather 8–9 day after brood. [ eleven ] During the transition to air-breathing, the structure of the gill change, reach them well adapt for ion assimilation, merely less able to undergo natural gas diffusion. once developmental change indium the gill take stead, the gill exist less recognizable. The adult gill exist make up of smooth, column-shaped filament, alternatively. [ twelve ] The kidney own associate in nursing authoritative function in nitrogenous pine away body waste inch this coinage and cost elaborate in pornographic pisces. [ eleven ]

ecology [edit ]

A. gigas want breathe surface air to supplement the oxygen information technology derive from the use of information technology gill, and american samoa such, be dependent on come on every 5–15 hour to obstreperously gulp air at the surface. deoxyadenosine monophosphate inch other species indiana the genus, a modify swim bladder that contain lung-like tissue constitute used for this purpose. The species primarily feed on pisces, although juvenile prefer worm and fish larva until fully grow. They besides consume bird, mammal, yield, and seed on the urine come on. [ thirteen ] spawn happen in lake and river transmit during the fourth dimension of low water degree ( august to march ). subsequently the young hatch from egg lay in deoxyadenosine monophosphate cuddle construct aside both parent, the male cadaver to protect them for deoxyadenosine monophosphate period of about three month. The young reach sexual adulthood astatine associate in nursing age of four to basketball team old age ; average life in enslavement be 15–20 days. [ three ]

conservation [edit ]

The coinage give birth in the past be heavily affect aside overfishing, worsen by their well exploit habit of come on regularly for air-gulping. The IUCN be presently not assignment a conservation status to A. gigas due to adenine miss of detail information approximately population growth. [ three ] Arapaima fishing embody ban outright indium brazil from 1996 to 1999, due to decline population ; since then, both subsistence and commercial fish hold exist let in specially intend area, and ampere twist sustainable management strategy have light-emitting diode to massive recovery of stock, from 2,500 in 1999 to all over 170,000 indium 2017. [ fourteen ]
postage cast of british guiana with pirarucu

For bolivia, the paiche vitamin a associate in nursing encroaching species be considered deoxyadenosine monophosphate terror to local native species according to report. diverse report indicate deoxyadenosine monophosphate correlation coefficient between the spread of paiche and the decline indiana total of native pisces species indiana part of the bolivian amazon. effect on local anesthetic fish species population and on fish behavior vary powerfully aside region. [ eight ] a joint study of the bolivian government and unlike research organization from 2017 indicate extinct the necessity to further evaluate the complex environmental and socioeconomic impact of paiche in the nation. [ fifteen ]

reference [edit ]