Piaractus is a genus of large serrasalmid from South America. The two traditionally recognized species of Piaractus are very similar in appearance and were formerly included in the genus Colossoma, which currently only contains another similar species, the tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum). A third Piaractus was described in 2019 as a new species, but it was formerly considered a subpopulation of P. brachypomus. Species There are currently three recognized species in this genus: Piaractus brachypomus (G. Cuvier, 1818) (Pirapatinga or red-bellied pacu) Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg, 1887) (small-scaled pacu or Paraná River pacu) Piaractus orinoquensis Escobar et al., 2019 References Serrasalmidae Taxa named by Carl H. Eigenmann Fish of South America Ray-finned fish genera