Catoprion mento (Cuvier, 1819)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The wimple piranha (Catoprion mento) is a specialized, South American species of piranha that feeds on fish scales. There is some debate over whether or not this species is considered a true piranha. If considered a true piranha, it would be the smallest species of piranha in the world.
Wikipedia contributors, Wimple piranha; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:15:32.953288+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Catoprion mento (Cuvier, 1819)
- Name authority
- (Cuvier, 1819)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Characiformes
- Family
- Serrasalmidae
- Genus
- Catoprion
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCharaciformes
- suborderCharacoidei
- familySerrasalmidae Bleeker, 1859
- subfamilySerrasalminae Bleeker, 1859
- genusCatoprion Müller & Troschel, 1844
- speciesCatoprion mento (Cuvier, 1819)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Catoprion. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Catoprion absconditus Mateussi, Melo & Oliveira, 2020 | SerrasalmidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Mylesinus macropterus Ulrey, 1894 Ulrey, 1894 | synonym |
| Serrasalmus mento Cuvier, 1819 Cuvier, 1819 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1019373 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5XFNP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.