Author: (Cuvier, 1818)
Remark: Specimens mentioned by Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes (1850: 211) and Bertin (1948: 26) are not types, only historical, all collected after original description by Cuvier (1818). See Boujard, Sabatier, Rojas-Beltran, Prevost & Renno (1990) for details on foods habits. See Lecomte, Boujard, Meunier, Renno and Rojas Beltarn (1993) for details on growth biology.  Synonymy above is based on personal observation and examination of types.
Comments: Occurs along the calm banks of main rivers and also near the rapids.  During the rainy season when growth is maximal, it feeds on fruits and consumes the seeds of palm trees like <i>Euterpa oleracea</i>, <i>Taralea oppositifolia</i>, <i>Mauritia flexuosa</i> and other plants like <i>Inga</i> sp. and <i>Psidium</i> sp. which they crush with their strong jaws.  During the dry season, their diet consists more of aquatic plants like <i>Mourea fluviatilis</i> and <i>Apinagia richardiana</i> and gastropods and fish (Ref. 12225).  Its flesh is excellent but it is preferable not to consume it at the end of the rainy season because then its flesh is very high in fat (Ref. 27188).