Pirapatinga Royalty-Free Stock Photo

Piaractus brachypomus (or Colossoma bidens, a synonym that used to be very popular) is an Amazonic pacu, a close relative of piranhas and silver dollars. As with a number of other closely related species, P. brachypomus is often referred to as the red-bellied pacu. This has resulted in a great deal of confusion about the nature and needs of all the species involved, with the reputation and requirements of one frequently being wrongly attributed to the others. An unambiguous name for P. brachypomus is pirapitinga.