Author: Spix & Agassiz, 1829
Comments: Adults occur in ponds.  Favored food fish.  They are strict herbivores which feed on plant debris, leaves and algae (Ref. 12225) but are reported as omnivores in Ref. 2060.  The males are mature at 18 cm and the females at 22 cm (Ref. 12225).  Distinct pairs breed on densely grown weedy places (Ref. 205).  In the Amazon, the species of this genus are gregarious and undergo migration (Ref. 12225).