Hi Frank.

I suppose you are pretty familiar with many of the most popular piranha-books.
I see the same specimen shown in f.ex "Piranhas In The Aqurium" by Wolfgang Schultze, and the volumes by Prof. Manolito Pinkguni, id'et as S. gibbus by one author and both Pygocentrus calmoni and S. gibbus by the other on different pages.
To my eyes that specimen could, for all that I know, even be S. maculatus as well.

How would you coment on this?
I'm still almost fulltime trying to get a prober id on my 'black-tailed' .

Besides, in your oppinion, what's the most accurate, fairly easily read and understood, bit of litterature on pirahnas available?
OPEFE is sadly often too much for my english-danish dictionary.

^ you might have to pm/email him mate, i think he's really busy

daz

I'm not that eager to get a reply. My 'black-tailed' still have to grow alot more, before a 100% certian id can be done.
I just try to learn what to look for as it comes around.

But thanks for the tip anyway.

Hi:

Always check OPEFE first. Your answers are usually found there. I happen to have the updates for OPEFE readers here: http://opefe.com/Ppubbooks.html

But if you have a question not answered or not fully understood, ask away here.

Never noticed that page before frank

cheers

daz

OPEFE Home page has all the links under OPEFE Research & Science Research.

ive read somewhere that theres a new book out later this year, il try and find info, -published oct 07,- "extreme pets, piranhas" published by franklin watts

No idea. I haven't bought a piranha book in ages. I have some that were sent to me in different languages and of course English. I don't read them because they can color opinion and I try to stay objective. The only piranha book I have ever read cover to cover was Harald Schultz PIRANHAS circa 1960's which was my bible and continues to be on my view of these fish. In case you are wondering where to get it, its out of print as a pamplet, but has been incorporated with the PIRANHA BOOK by G. S. Myers. Schultz view of the piranha continues to be my mantra.

I have them all myself

Combined with OPEFE, PFUK, P-Cove and the lot, I have managed to rule out most myths from the little knowledge that I have gained so far.
But I have nothing to recommend to other danes with interest in piranhas, that still doesn't care to study as hard as I do, cause I know no books, that are adequate free of errors and populistic perceptions.

I my opinion only "Piranhas -A complete Pet-Owners Manual" by D. Schleser and "The Piranha Book" by Myers come close, the later as it is obviuosly only Mr. Myers personal opinion, and is at no point claimed to be anything else, so everyone is from first page invited to regard his statements as they please. But that requires a level of academic discipline that not everybody can show.

I have already translated a few pages from OPEFE, but the result has still proven to be too academic to most readers so far, and it's been a hard job, as I have no academic training myself. Translating "pre-dorsal line", "interorpical" and the like to a danish hobbyist, is hard as such terms do not exist in everyday-danish. Biologists use the english terms among themselves.

So I really look forward to what volumes that will be published in the future, hoping they will be in fairly plain language, so everybodey can follow.

Under Parts of a Piranha (opefe research), the term pre-dorsal spine, refers to the little spine that is just before the first ray of the dorsal fin. There is a photo of it. The technical terms is the same in nearly every language that a scientist would understand (not the typical hobbyist). OPEFE is read by educational institutions so I have to walk a thin line between them and us regular guys.

Feel free to translate OPEFE in your language. If you have any questions you can ask here, pm or email to opefe@charter.net.