Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Arapaima
open-in-new
<p>The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is any large species of <a href="/facts/Bonytongue/2zAbxtvE">bonytongue</a> in the genus <i>Arapaima</i> native to the <a href="/facts/Amazon_Basin/kVk5XeHA">Amazon</a> and <a href="/facts/Essequibo_River/cKbaTFFt">Essequibo</a> basins of South America. <i>Arapaima</i> is the <a href="/facts/Type_genus/vKbAuKph">type genus</a> of the subfamily <a href="/facts/Arapaiminae/2zAbxtvE">Arapaiminae</a> within the family <a href="/facts/Osteoglossidae/K2m1GrBB">Osteoglossidae</a>. They are among the world's largest freshwater fish, reaching as much as 3 m (9.8 ft) in length. They are an important food fish. They have declined in the native range due to <a href="/facts/Overfishing/fAxN80Jo">overfishing</a> and habitat loss. In contrast, arapaima have been <a href="/facts/Introduced_species/s0aHefyp">introduced</a> to several tropical regions outside the native range (within South America and elsewhere), where they are sometimes considered <a href="/facts/Invasive_species/Ya1v6RGx">invasive species</a>. In <a href="/facts/Kerala/DMP5u40q">Kerala</a>, India, arapaima escaped from aquaculture ponds after <a href="/facts/2018_Kerala_floods/891z7a6a">floods in 2018</a>. Its <a href="/facts/Portuguese_language/vr3Fwzw3">Portuguese</a> name, <i>pirarucu</i>, derives from the <a href="/facts/Tupi_language/AGGP472R">Tupi language</a> words <i>pira</i> and <i>urucum</i>, meaning "red fish". </p><p><i>Arapaima</i> was traditionally regarded as a <a href="/facts/Monotypic_genus/QvoM9aGP">monotypic genus</a>, but later, several species were distinguished. As a consequence of this <a href="/facts/Taxonomy_(biology)/Qkg8wuyw">taxonomic</a> confusion, most earlier studies were done using the name <i>A. gigas</i>, but this species is only known from old <a href="/facts/Biological_specimen/u51y6uvM">museum specimens</a> and the exact native range is unclear. The regularly seen and studied species is <i>A. arapaima</i>, although a small number of <i>A. leptosoma</i> also have been recorded in the <a href="/facts/Aquarium_trade/SNLkhRCH">aquarium trade</a>. The remaining species are virtually unknown: <i>A. agassizii</i> from old detailed drawings (the <a href="/facts/Type_specimen/mTM1beKX">type specimen</a> itself was lost during <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a> bombings) and <i>A. mapae</i> from the type specimen. </p>