iArapaima
Conservation status
Data deficient (DD)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Osteoglossiformes Family: Osteoglossidae Subfamily: Heterotidinae Genus: Arapaima Species: A. gigas
Binomial name
Arapaima gigas (Cuvier, 1829)

Arapaima showing its full length.

The arapaima, piracucu, pirarucu, or paiche, Arapaima gigas, is the world's largest freshwater fish. The species is reported to reach lengths in excess of 3 m (9.8 ft.) and weigh up to 200 kg (440 lb), although these reports have been disputed. As one of the most sought after fish species in South America, it is often captured by spearing for export, and, consequently, large arapaima of more than 2 m are seldom found today. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1533 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Arapaima Omagua Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Myxozoa (slime animals) Superphylum Deuterostomia (blastopore becomes anus) Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... {{{subdivision_ranks}}} See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Orders See text The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. ... Families Heterotididae Pantopontidae (butterflyfishes) Singidididae (extinct) Osteoglossidae ( arowana) Ostariostomidae (extinct) Notopteridae (featherfin knifes) Gymnarchidae Mormyridae (elephantfishes) Osteoglossiformes (Lat. ... Arowana - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Sub-families Heterotidinae Osteoglossinae Arowana are freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae, sometimes known as Bony tongues. Classification They are primitive throwbacks from the lower Tertiary and are placed in the actinopterygiid order Osteoglossiformes. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Georges Cuvier Baron Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier (August 23, 1769–May 13, 1832) was a French naturalist and zoologist. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1029, 1021 KB) Arapaima, the largest freshwater fish. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1029, 1021 KB) Arapaima, the largest freshwater fish. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... The Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. ... The international prototype, made of platinum-iridium, which is kept at the BIPM under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in 1889. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Dutch fishermen using tridents in the 17th century Night spear fishing, Amazon basin, Peru. ...

The diet of the arapaima consists of other fish or even small animals, including birds. This fish is able to survive extensive drought periods by gulping air and burrowing in the mud or sand of the swamps.

The arapaima has also been introduced for fishing in Thailand and Malaysia. It is also considered an aquarium fish, although it obviously requires a large tank and ample resources. For other uses, see Aquarium (disambiguation). ...

Fossils of arapaima or a very similar species have been found in the Miocene Villavieja Formation of Colombia. [1] The Miocene epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23 to 5. ...

The tongue of this fish is known to have medicinal qualities in South America. It is dried and combined with guarana bark, which is grated and mixed into water. Doses of this are given to kill intestinal worms. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Binomial name Paullinia cupana Kunth Guarana or Guaraná (IPA: , or ), Paullinia cupana (syn. ...

Reproduction

Due to the geographic range that arapaima inhabits, the animal's life cycle is greatly affected by the seasonal flooding that occurs. Half of the year the arapaima experiences an abundance of water, which is a benefit to these aquatic organisms; however, the other half of the year the arapaima experiences drought conditions. The arapaima has adapted to this great fluctuation in many aspects of its life, including reproduction. The arapaima lays its eggs during the months of February, March, and April when the water levels are low. They build a nest approximately 50 cm wide and 15 cm deep, usually in sandy bottomed areas. As the water rises the eggs hatch and the offspring have the flood season to prosper, during the months of May to August. Therefore, the yearly spawning is regulated seasonally. The arapaima is a mouthbrooder. Look up flood in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A drought is a period of time when there is not enough water to support agricultural, urban or environmental water needs. ... Mouthbrooder is a term used when talking about fish. ...

Economic Importance for Humans

Arapaima depicted on a 1954 postage stamp of British Guiana.

The arapaima is hunted and utilized in many ways by local human populations. Arapaima are harpooned or caught in large nets and the meat is said to be delicious. Since the arapaima needs to swim up to breathe air, traditional arapaima fishers often catch them by first clubbing them and then harpooning them dead. One individual can yield seventy kg of meat. In addition, the arapaima's bony tongue is often used to scrape cylinders of dried guarana, an ingredient in a beverage, and the bony scales are used as nail files. This animal also appears in the pet trade, although to keep a arapaima correctly requires a large tank and can prove quite difficult. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (750x920, 241 KB) British Guiana 72c stamp of 1954, scanned January 2006 by User:Stan Shebs File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): British Guiana Arapaima User:Stan... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (750x920, 241 KB) British Guiana 72c stamp of 1954, scanned January 2006 by User:Stan Shebs File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): British Guiana Arapaima User:Stan... British Guiana and its boundary lines, 1896 Flag of British Guiana British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana. ... A human tongue The tongue is the large bundle of skeletal muscles on the floor of the mouth that manipulates food for chewing and swallowing, (deglutition). ...

Trivia

• In the Nintendo GameCube videogame Animal Crossing and subsequent sequels, the arapaima is the third rarest catch.
• These fish can bee seen at Singapore Zoo. Feeding time is quite a spectacle.

The Nintendo GameCube ) (GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the sixth generation era. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

• World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1996). Arapaima gigas. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 06 May 2006.
• "Arapaima gigas". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 10 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.

(Lowe-McConnell 1987; Smith 1981, Luna and Froese, 2002) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish. ...