Fish
Pejerrey
Odontesthes bonariensis
Flashing a bright silver stripe along each side of its body, a pejerrey draws anglers across South America and beyond, a popularity that has carried the species to lakes on continents far from its native range.
Overview
The pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis, is a Least Concern freshwater and brackish-water fish native to Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Brazil. Its popularity as a sport and food fish has led to deliberate introductions on multiple continents, making it one of the most widely distributed South American freshwater fish in the world today, native range aside.
A fish shaped by temperature
Researchers have found that water temperature during the pejerrey’s early development can influence the sex ratio of its offspring, a form of temperature-dependent sex determination that has made the species a subject of close scientific study.
Status
Least Concern, remaining abundant across its native South American range and in numerous introduced populations established elsewhere in the world.
Pejerrey: common questions
Why is the pejerrey important to fishing?
It is one of the most heavily targeted freshwater sport fish in South America, prized by anglers, which has also led to it being deliberately introduced into lakes on other continents.
What is unusual about how pejerrey sex is determined?
Water temperature during early development can influence the sex ratio of offspring, a form of temperature-dependent sex determination that researchers have studied closely in this species.
What does the pejerrey eat?
It is a carnivore, preying on smaller fish, insects, and zooplankton in the freshwater and brackish lakes it inhabits.
Is the pejerrey found outside South America?
Yes, it has been deliberately introduced to lakes and reservoirs on multiple continents due to its popularity as a sport and food fish, well beyond its native South American range.