CreatureData

Payara

Hydrolycus scomberoides (Cuvier, 1819)

Status not recordedbony fish

The payara (Hydrolycus scomberoides) is a species in the family Cynodontidae, order Characiformes.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the payara

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the payara live?

Not recorded

Is the payara endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the payara classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderCharaciformes
  5. familyCynodontidae
  6. genusHydrolycus
  7. SpeciesHydrolycus scomberoides (Cuvier, 1819)

Synonyms Cynodon pectoralis, Hydocynus scomberoides, Hydrocynus scomberoides, Hydrocyon scomberoides, Hydrolicus scomberoides, Hydrolycus pectoralis

Other names and names in other languages (28)
  • Vampire tetraEnglish
  • 似鯖水狼脂鯉Chinese
  • zubatice makrelováCzech
  • Makrellignende vandhundDanish
  • WolfsalmlerGerman
  • DientónSpanish
  • HuntsalmlerEstonian
  • MustasusitetraFinnish
  • ペーシュ・カショーロJapanese
  • pajaraPolish
  • GataPortuguese
  • Скумбревидный гидроликRussian
  • ปลาสคอมบิรอยด์Thai
  • 似鲭水狼脂鲤Chinese
  • 大胸水狼脂鯉Chinese
  • 大胸水狼脂鲤Chinese
  • ChambiraSpanish
  • HuapetaSpanish
  • Tuun-susisalmlerEstonian
  • SiipisusitetraFinnish
  • CachorraPortuguese
  • CachorroPortuguese
  • ParayaPortuguese
  • Peixe cachorroPortuguese
  • Peixe-cachorraPortuguese
  • PirandiráPortuguese
  • PiranhaPortuguese
  • Saranha do rabo amareloPortuguese

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the payara

Other species in the same genus Hydrolycus.

Harm

Hydrolycus armatus

CynodontidaeNo free photo yet

Paraya

Hydrolycus tatauaia

CynodontidaeNo free photo yet

ComparePayara vs HarmPayara vs ParayaPayara vs Wallace's Payara

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

What kind of animal is the payara?

The payara (Hydrolycus scomberoides) belongs to the family Cynodontidae in the order Characiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Payara (Hydrolycus scomberoides). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/payara

MLA

“Payara (Hydrolycus scomberoides).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/payara.

BibTeX
@misc{payara_2026,
  title = {Payara (Hydrolycus scomberoides)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/payara},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}