Elephant Puppets pacu update
4The tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) is a large species of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae. It is native to tropical South America, but kept in aquaculture and introduced elsewhere.[1] It is also known by the names black pacu, black-finned pacu, giant pacu, cachama, gamitana, and sometimes as pacu (a name used for several other related species).
The tambaqui is currently the only member of Colossoma, but the Piaractus species were also included in this genus in the past.[2]
The tambaqui is native to freshwater habitats in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of tropical South America.[1] In nutrient-rich whitewater rivers such as the Madeira, Juruá, Putumayo (Içá) and Purus it ranges throughout, all the way up to their headwaters.[3] In nutrient-poor blackwater rivers such as the Rio Negro and clearwater rivers such as several rightbank tributaries of the Madeira it generally only occurs in the lower c. 300 km (200 mi) and is rare beyond the lowermost c. 150 km (100 mi).[3] It is widely kept in aquaculture outside its native range in South America.[1] Miocene fossils are known from the Magdalena River, but modern occurrence in this river is due to introductions by humans.[4]