Piranhas represent a large percentage of the total biomass and abundance of Neotropical
freshwater fishes (Mago-Leccia, 1970) and are amongst the main predators of these
assemblages (Almeida et al., 1998). Piranhas have the bad reputation of being voracious
fishes and many studies have focused on ontogenetic and temporal diet variations
(Goulding, 1980; Machado-Allison & Garcia, 1986; Nico & Taphorn, 1988; Winemiller, 1989),
dietary nutritional value (Nico & Morales, 1994), and feeding strategies (Nico & Taphorn …

We investigated the diet and habitat use of sympatric piranha species (Serrasalmus
maculatus, S. marginatus, Pygocentrus nattereri) in three rivers and three lagoons of the
Miranda River basin in the Southern Pantanal, Brazil. The three species showed differences
in size, weight, abundance, and diet between sites; but not in terms of habitat use.
Serrasalmus maculatus and P. nattereri were most abundant in rivers and lagoons. The low
abundance of S. marginatus could be due to its solitary and territorial behavior. Stomach …