Striped anostomid from rivers of the Amazon, the Orinoco and the Guianas. It eats worms, crustaceans, insects and plants, and has commercial and aquarium use.
Also called: anostomo, anostomus rayados, striped headstander
The anostomus is of the family Anostomidae and reaches 16 cm. It lives from the bottom to midwater in rivers of the Amazon and Orinoco basins, with records in Brazil, Guyana, Suriname and Peru. It eats worms, crustaceans, insects and plant matter. It is oviparous: pairs spawn in areas of dense vegetation, and males tend to stay near the spawning site. It has commercial and aquarium use, but is hardly ever caught on rod.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the striped headstander; in the meantime, see the similar species.
how to recognize it
identification
Elongated, striped body, with a small mouth at the tip of the snout, a trait common to anostomids. It reaches 16 cm. The piau-de-três-manchas (Pseudanos trimaculatus) looks similar, but reaches almost 19 cm and has cross bars and dark spots on the flank, while the anostomus has stripes.
how striped headstander fishing looks
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
Amazon and Orinoco basins, occurring in Brazil, Guyana, Suriname and Peru.
Habitat: Rivers of the Amazon and Orinoco basins, from the bottom to midwater.
native to the basins
Amazon
what the law says
rules for the striped headstander
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency. Conservation: Not on the Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
piracema closures in the basins where the species lives
Spawning closure (piracema) in Mato Grosso (all basins)
01/10 to 31/01MT
Allowed: All fishing modalities are prohibited in rivers, including catch and release (Law 9.096/2009, art. 19-A). Exceptions: subsistence fishing from shore (3 kg or 1 fish, no transport or sale) and scientific fishing. Law 13.159/2025 now allows licensed sport fishing in UHE/PCH hydropower reservoirs, natural lakes and border rivers, subject to a scientific study and a license from the environmental agency. We have not confirmed whether these licenses are already being issued.
Allowed: Recreational anglers with handline or rod, line and hook are outside the Annex II prohibitions, with a bag limit of 5 kg + 1 fish, unless a stricter state rule applies.
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Small fish with a small mouth: take the hook out carefully in the water and release it quickly.
calculator
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00513, b = 3.09; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
