wimple piranha
catoprion mento latin

The wimple piranha has 62 chromosomes, which is more than average for related fishes (60 chromosomes).

Like most fish, when the wimple piranha feeds on small fish or scales floating in the water, it uses suction feeding.

The wimple piranha, Catoprion mento, is a specialized species of piranha that feeds on fish scales.

The wimple piranha is found in the Amazon, Orinoco, Essequibo, and upper Paraguay River basins in South America.

In laboratory conditions, wimple piranhas are known to feed on scales from fish up to three times their own length, and are even known to feed on scales of conspecifics.

The dietary breadth of the wimple piranha is one of the narrowest reported for fishes; scales form an important proportion of the diet throughout most of life, and adults feed almost entirely on them (see lepidophagy).

The wimple piranha is not traditionally considered to be a true piranha; the shape of its teeth and the presence of two rows of teeth (instead of one) on the upper jaw makes it different from the other piranha genera.

The wimple piranha, Catoprion mento, is a specialized species of piranha that feeds on fish scales.