Pike characins,听础肠别蝉迟谤辞谤丑测苍肠丑耻蝉听尘颈肠谤辞濒别辫颈蝉,听are听one of many characid species also referred to听as听freshwater barracudas. This specimen听was collected by Max M. Ellis听in 1910听while he led听an听exploration into the regions of the headwaters of the Amazon听River听under the financing of Indiana philanthropist Jake Gimbel. The Gimbel Expedition resulted in many important freshwater fish discoveries and followed along the brackish听Demerara听River in Guyana as well of some of its inland tributaries, such as听Hubabu听Creek. This particular specimen was
collected near Gluck Island, nearly one hundred miles from the northern coast of Guyana, opposite Rockstone. A search for freshwater eels was the driving force behind the expedition, and Ellis鈥� resulting 88-page monograph on听The Gymnotid Eels of Tropical America corroborated the existence of the previously held myth of the 鈥渆lectric fish.鈥澨齌herefore, this characid听specimen represents a unique听non-target听species听collected on the听Gimbel Expedition.听听
The pike characin belongs to the 鈥渘eedle jaw鈥澨鼳cestrorhynchidae听family. Its elongated body can听reach up to 15 inches听in length and is听punctuated by a dark blotch at the base of the caudal (tail) fin.听The pike听charcin鈥檚听native range is the听Orinoco and Amazon Rivers听of South America, though听now it is also a听commercially available aquarium species.听This species听is an obligate piscivore, feeding strictly on听a diet of fish听with its sharply pointed听cone-shaped听teeth, capable of easily crushing bone.听听