Mylossoma

Mylossoma is a genus with 3 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Piranhas & Pacus section, recorded from Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela and 6 more countries. Adult sizes run from 8 in to 11 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
3
Adult sizes
8–11 in
IUCN assessed
3 of 3 · 1 threatened
Recorded from
9 countries

About the genus

Mylossoma is a genus of silver dollars in the piranha family Serrasalmidae, broadly distributed across the Amazon, Orinoco, and Paraná-Paraguay basins - the atlas lists it from Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru. Atlas species run 8–11 in, deep-bodied and laterally flattened like their close relatives Metynnis and Myloplus, with the rounded, disc-like silhouette that gives the group its common name.

Mylossoma aureum, the silver dollar, is a long-established aquarium fish, kept as a peaceful schooling herbivore in large tanks with tough, fast-growing plants able to withstand its appetite; M. duriventre is traded under the same generic 'silver dollar' name and shares similar care needs. Like most silver dollars they are skittish kept alone but settle well in groups, and they do best on a mostly plant-based diet with some protein. Conservation status is mixed across the genus - two atlas species are Least Concern, one Vulnerable.

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable · 1 Least Concern · 2

The 3 species

Every Mylossoma recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources.

(Valenciennes, 1850)

Silver mylossoma

11 in SL · VU

(Spix & Agassiz, 1829)

Silver dollar, Golden pacu

8 in TL · LC

(Cuvier, 1818)

Silver mylossoma, Silver dollar

10 in SL · LC

Explore further

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Mylossoma. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/mylossoma/

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