Hydrolycus tatauaia
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| Hydrolycus tatauaia | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Cynodontidae |
| Genus: | Hydrolycus |
| Species: | H. tatauaia |
| Binomial name | |
| Hydrolycus tatauaia | |
Hydrolycus tatauaia, the orange-tail payara,[2] is a species of dogtooth characin found in the Amazon, Orinoco and Essequibo basins in tropical South America.[3][4] Adults mainly occur in deep and/or fast-flowing rivers.[5] It is migratory, moving upstream to breed in November–April.[6]
Like other Hydrolycus species, H. tatauaia has long pointed canine teeth that are used to spear their prey, generally smaller fish.[6] The body and head are silvery, and there is a vertically elongated dark spot behind the opercle. The tail is reddish to orange.[4][6][7] The species name tatauaia is of Tupi origin and means "fire tail".[4][2] It reaches up to 59 cm (1 ft 11 in) in total length and 2.7 kg (5 lb 15 oz) in weight.[3]
This predatory fish occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade, but it requires a very large tank.[6]