Brycon guatemalensis Regan, 1908
Machaca
Machaca,  Sabalete
Brycon guatemalensis
photo by Perusquía, E.

Family:  Bryconidae ("Brycon characins"), subfamily: Bryconinae
Max. size:  59 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 4,320.0 g
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater; depth range 0 - 5 m
Distribution:  Central America: Atlantic slope from Grijalva River, Mexico to eastern Panama; in the Pacific slope, only in Choluteca River basin of Honduras.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Found in lakes, rivers and streams between 0 and 600 m elevation. The young feed on terrestrial and aquatic insects, leaves, fruits and seeds but become mainly herbivorous when adult. Eggs are deposited in nests located in sand bottoms of streams.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 15 November 2018 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:  More common in the northern portion and rather scanty in the Atlantic side of the country (ref. 36880). Range extension to the Pacific Versant, in the Bebedero river watershed reported in 2012 (Ref. 96346), where it "has established with absolute success and its incredibly abundant. The abundance is such, that the main attraction of the Cañas area is a sport fishing tour in the different rivers that conform the Bebedero watershed. The species has become so successful that there several reports of specimens weighing more than 4.3 kg, the IGFA max reported weight." (J. Valerio, pers. Comm. Email 20/06/2014). Utilized as a game fish (Ref. 6323, YYY). Also Ref. 6858 and 38504.


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