File talk:Colossoma-brachypomus.jpg

What fish is this?

The name of the file (Colossoma brachypomus) implies that this is the Red-bellied pacu. However, an editor on that page on the English Wikipedia recently raised concerns that it wasn't, and on the Pacu page, this is described as the Black Pacu. Other wikis use this image inconsistently also. So which is it? If its not a Red-bellied Pacu, please comment at Talk:Piaractus_brachypomus on the English Wikipedia so we know to remove it from there. If it's not a Black Pacu, then the same applies to the Pacu page. --173.250.245.82 22:24, 21 February 2018 (UTC)

First of all Colossoma brachypomus is a synonym of Piaractus brachypomus so if that's the correct taxon, the file name of the image should be changed accordingly. We may of course come to agree that the image depicts an entirely different species – in either case the file needs a new name.

Secondly (and without getting in to determining the species in the picture) I propose we stick to scientific names when talking about this whole matter, since the use of vernacular names increases the risk of misunderstanding and mix-ups. The English Wikipedia page for Piaractus brachypomus gives an excellent example of this, claiming that "As with a number of other closely related species, P. brachypomus is often referred to as the Red-bellied Pacu in reference to the appearance of the juveniles. This has resulted in a great deal of confusion about the nature and needs of all the species involved, with the reputation and requirements of one frequently being wrongly attributed to the others"  [end quote]. This is also why "Red-bellied pacu" is a disambiguation page at enWP. Also, English is spoken almost all over the globe, and it is not uncommon that English vernacular names of one specific taxon differ between native English speakers in different parts of the world. This is not a problem if we decide to exclusively use (accepted) scientific names, since they are universal. Scientific names are also truly language independent: even though they are often called "Latin names" rather few scientific names are in fact made up by proper Latin. –Tommy Kronkvist (talk), 03:48, 5 March 2018 (UTC).