Pristobrycon is a genus of piranhas in the family Serrasalmidae, closely related to the better-known Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus. The atlas's 2 species, restricted to Venezuela per the brief, run 4.5–10 in and share the deep-bodied, laterally compressed piranha body plan, with a single row of sharply interlocking, triangular teeth in each jaw adapted for a mixed diet of fish, fins, scales, seeds, and other opportunistic prey typical of the group.
Species like Pristobrycon careospinus (the maripano) and P. maculipinnis (the marbled piranha) occasionally appear in the specialist aquarium trade for keepers of predatory South American fish, though they are far less commonly kept than Pygocentrus nattereri and require the same large-tank, careful-stocking caution as other serrasalmids. Conservation status is a concern for part of the genus: one atlas species is assessed as Endangered, underscoring how narrowly some Serrasalmidae are restricted within Venezuela's river systems, while the other has not yet been evaluated.