How many piranha species are there in the world?

How many piranha species are there? Updated.

There is an approximate total of thirty six species of piranha that are considered valid. Piranhas are spread across six genera at this time. But in total there are fourty nine species of piranha on record as invalid and dubious or never found. The genera for Piranhas include Serrasalmus, Pygocentrus, Catoprion, Pristobrycon, Pygopristis, and Proteocephalus.

Classification/taxonomy

Here is the taxonomy information for the piranha and its conspecific relatives, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Serrasalmus Lacepéde, 1803 - valid
Serrasalmus aesopus (Cope, 1972) - invalid
Serrasalmus altispinis (Merckx, Jégu and Mendes dos Santos, 2000) - valid
Serrasalmus altuvei (Ramírez, 1965) - valid
Serrasalmus brandtii (Lütken, 1875) - valid
Serrasalmus compressus (Jégu, Leao and dos Santos, 1991) - valid
Serrasalmus eigenmanni (Norman, 1929) - valid
Serrasalmus elongatus (Kner, 1858) - valid
Serrasalmus geryi (Jégu and dos Santos, 1988) - valid
Serrasalmus gibbus (Castelnau, 1855) - valid
Serrasalmus gouldingi (Fink and Machado-Allison, 1992) - valid
Serrasalmus hastatus (Fink and Machado-Allison, 2001) - valid
Serrasalmus hollandi (Eigenmann, 1915) - valid
Serrasalmus humeralis (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1850) - valid
Serrasalmus irritans (Peters, 1877) - valid
Serrasalmus maculatus (Kner, 1858) - valid
Serrasalmus manueli (Fernández-Yépez and Ramìrez, 1967) - valid
Serrasalmus marginatus (Valenciennes, 1836) - valid
Serrasalmus medinai (Ramírez, 1965) - valid
Serrasalmus nalseni (Fernández-Yépez, 1969) - valid
Serrasalmus natterei (Kner, 1858) - invalid - redeye piranha
Serrasalmus nattereri (Kner, 1858) - invalid
Serrasalmus neveriensis (Machado-Allison, Fink, López Rojas and Rodenas, 1993) - valid
Serrasalmus niger (Jardine and Schomburgk in Schomburgk, 1841) - invalid
Serrasalmus nigricans (Spix and Agassiz, 1829) - valid
Serrasalmus paraense (Steindachner, 1908) - invalid
Serrasalmus piraya (Cuvier, 1819) - invalid
Serrasalmus rhombeus (Linnaeus, 1766) - valid - redeye piranha, spotted piranha
Serrasalmus sanchezi (Géry, 1964) - valid
Serrasalmus serrulatus (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1850) - valid
Serrasalmus spilopleura (Kner, 1858) - valid - dark-banded piranha, dark-banded piranha

Pygocentrus Müller and Troschel, 1844 - valid
Pygocentrus altus (Gill, 1870) - invalid
Pygocentrus cariba (Humboldt in Humboldt and Valenciennes, 1821) - valid
Pygocentrus dulcis (Kner, 1860) - invalid
Pygocentrus melanurus (Kner, 1860) - invalid
Pygocentrus natterei (Kner, 1858) - invalid - red piranha, redeye piranha
Pygocentrus nattereri (Kner, 1858) - valid
Pygocentrus niger (Jardine and Schomburgk in Schomburgk, 1841) - invalid
Pygocentrus nigricans (Spix and Agassiz, 1829) - invalid
Pygocentrus palometa (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1850) - valid
Pygocentrus piraya (Cuvier, 1819) - valid
Pygocentrus stigmaterythraeus (Fowler, 1911) - invalid

Catoprion Müller and Troschel, 1844 - valid
Catoprion mento (Cuvier, 1819) - valid

Pristobrycon Eigenmann, 1915 - valid
Pristobrycon aureus (Spix and Agassiz, 1829) - valid
Pristobrycon calmoni (Steindachner, 1908) - valid
Pristobrycon careospinus (Fink and Machado-Allison, 1992) - valid
Pristobrycon maculipinnis (Fink and Machado-Allison, 1992) - valid
Pristobrycon striolatus (Steindachner, 1908) - valid

Pygopristis Müller and Troschel, 1844 - valid
Pygopristis denticulatus (Cuvier, 1819) - valid

Proteocephalus Rego & Pavanelli, 1990 - valid
Proteocephalus serrasalmus ( Rego & Pavanelli, 1990) - valid

References

Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
Serrasalmus humeralis
Serrasalmus gibbus (Pirambeba)
Serrasalmus irritans (Caribe Pinche)
Serrasalmus brandtii (Pirambeba)
Serrasalmus altuvei
Serrasalmus medinai
Serrasalmus odyssei
Serrasalmus sanchezi (paña negra)
Pygocentrus piraya
Serrasalmus geryi (Pirambeba)