aracu
Leporinus granti
Small aracu from rivers of French Guiana and Guyana, up to 20 cm. It occasionally turns up on the line, especially with a small hook.
Also called: aracu, sardina
- maximum
- 20 cm
- record/max.
- 0.2 kg
who is the aracu
The aracu is a freshwater anostomid of the same group as the piaus, reaching 20 cm and 185 g. It occurs in rivers of the Mana basin, in French Guiana, and in Guyana. Adults gather in large numbers at the mouths of streams, over sand or mud bottoms, and young ones stay in calm, shallow waters near plants. It is omnivorous and digests chitin, present in insects and crustaceans. It breeds from December to June. As it is easily hooked with a small hook, it turns up in river fishing, but it is not a trophy fish.
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 aracu; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Aquarists consider it restless in captivity.
identification
Elongated anostomid, with a small mouth and incisor-like teeth, typical of the piaus and aracus. The name aracu applies to several species, so confirm the region: this one lives in the rivers of French Guiana and Guyana. It may be confused with the lipstick leporinus (piau-batom), of the same group, which also occurs in the Guianas.
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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.
where found
Rivers of the Mana basin, in French Guiana, and rivers of Guyana. Not recorded in Brazil.
Habitat: Adults at the mouths of streams, over sand or mud bottoms; juveniles in calm, shallow waters, near plants.
rules for the aracu
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
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 of the current: hold it with a wet hand, carefully remove the hook from its small mouth, and return it quickly.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01072, b = 3.11; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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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.
- scientific FishBase: Leporinus granti (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Leporinus grantiNames by country and language.
