pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) Arapaima gigas
Date February 2014
Author This illustration was made by Citron https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Citron
You must credit this : Citron / CC-BY-SA-3.0
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arapaima_gigas_captivity.jpg
The pirarucu or giant arapaima (Arapaima gigas) is a species of arapaima native to the basin of the Amazon River. It is among the largest freshwater fish. Arapaima gigas is an obligate air-breather and needs to come to the surface regularly to gulp air.
Order: Osteoglossiformes
Family: Osteoglossidae
Genus: Arapaima
Species: Arapaima gigas (Schinz, 1822)
Synonyms:
Sudis gigas Schinz, 1822
Sudis pirarucu Spix & Agassiz, 1829 (ambiguous)
Vastres mapae Valenciennes, 1847
Vastres cuvieri Valenciennes, 1847
Vastres agassizii Valenciennes, 1847
Vastres arapaima Valenciennes, 1847
