Piraiba: Suriname, Peru, Guyana, and Brazil - are there reliable ID differences?

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
15,694
14,060
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
It's been almost two years. Anyone want to add anything?
GiantFishKeeper101 GiantFishKeeper101 GiantFishKeeper101 GiantFishKeeper101
fugupuff fugupuff fugupuff fugupuff
H HELIOX
vincentwugwg vincentwugwg vincentwugwg vincentwugwg
fishtankphil fishtankphil fishtankphil fishtankphil
Rpul Rpul Rpul Rpul
Tripletail Tripletail Tripletail Tripletail
amazonfishman amazonfishman amazonfishman amazonfishman
Jonathan_G Jonathan_G Jonathan_G Jonathan_G
bobVillanueva bobVillanueva bobVillanueva bobVillanueva
dazzapolypterusweeksii dazzapolypterusweeksii
Fishman Dave Fishman Dave
T TLkmDN
 

dazzapolypterusweeksii

Aimara
MFK Member
Sep 25, 2010
729
743
130
leicester,uk
suriname piraiba around the late 20" maybe 30" lost spots very early. Very dark and elongated pointed snout.

Screenshot_20200815-085940_Video Player.jpgScreenshot_20200815-085915_Video Player.jpg


@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@


peru piraiba....very stocky active. Very light colour with some very faint spots roughly 24" maybe bigger. Got birds eye view of the peru next to the dark suriname.

Although the surinames head/mouth is pointed from a side shot from above quite broad whereas the peru is very stocky large head from side angle but from above a uniform curve

Screenshot_20200815-203433_Video Player.jpgScreenshot_20200815-203259_Video Player.jpgScreenshot_20200815-203546_Video Player.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:

GiantFishKeeper101

Blue Tier VIP
MFK Member
Apr 23, 2017
585
983
390
Can I get some help on what kind of piraiba this is? Much appreciated!
That's a peruvian. Or possibly a hybrid. Because back in the day there were no light colored piraiba or rarely available in the market, most of them are dark colored variants. Now, most of them are light colored variants. The thing is, after plenty of these light colored piraiba enters the market, False Piraiba (Brachyplatystoma capapretum) have completely gone from the market. Who knows what happened, plenty of speculation, each to their own opinion.

Do you have videos for your biggest?
Last measured 30". No i haven't, had sold him last year. Haven't heard from him since. Also I don't wanna know because if something ever happen, i would heart broke. You can look him in the catfish book titled "Pims" in the Suriname Piraiba section. All of em are photo of him. Terrible photos tho, only later i had the best photos of him but the book already published. Perhaps 2nd edition.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sk2real

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
15,694
14,060
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
Between Suriname and Peru, I'd say this is Peru. IDK what the Guyana and Brazil look like exactly.

That's a peruvian. Or possibly a hybrid. Because back in the day there were no light colored piraiba or rarely available in the market, most of them are dark colored variants. Now, most of them are light colored variants. The thing is, after plenty of these light colored piraiba enters the market, False Piraiba (Brachyplatystoma capapretum) have completely gone from the market. Who knows what happened, plenty of speculation, each to their own opinion.
I so totally noticed this too and agree 100%.

The lighter colored one, which is the one that keeps spots longer, that we know as Peru piraiba seems to not exceed 3 feet or so in 5-10 years or maybe at all, as opposed to the Suriname piraiba that reaches 5-6 feet in this time span. Most peers in the US seem to consider (erroneously in my view) the recently-widely-sold Peru piraiba the false piraiba aka B. capapretum, which however looks distinctly different from Peru piraiba and Suriname piraiba when young.

It's been an enigma to me. I tentatively conclude that B. filamentosum consists of two species, not one.
 

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
15,694
14,060
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
IDK what Brazil and Guyana look like but between Peru and Suriname this one looks Peru to me.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store