Leporinus maculatus
Aracu-pinima, found in fast current in the coastal rivers of the Guianas, the Amazon basin and the São Francisco. It eats invertebrates and has commercial and aquarium use.
Also called: aracu-pinima, aracu, spotted leporinus
The aracu-pinima is of the family Anostomidae and reaches 18 cm, and the female 20 cm. It lives in streams with fast current, over sand and rock bottoms. It feeds on invertebrates. Pairs spawn in dense vegetation, and males tend to stay near the spawning site. It occurs in coastal rivers of the Guianas and, in Brazil, in the São Francisco basin, with records also in the Amazon basin, in Amapá and Pará. It has commercial and aquarium use, but is rarely 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 spotted leporinus; in the meantime, see the similar species.
Elongated, rounded body like a piau, with a small mouth and incisor teeth. It has dark spots scattered over the body, as the scientific name maculatus (spotted) indicates. Females reach 20 cm and males 18 cm. Among the piaus of the Guianas it is small: the piau-meia-linha (Leporinus nigrotaeniatus) reaches 40 cm and the piau-da-guiana (Leporinus desmotes), 22 cm.
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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.
Coastal rivers of French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname, and the São Francisco basin. In Brazil there are also records in the Amazon basin, in Amapá and Pará.
Habitat: Streams with fast current and sand and rock bottoms; pairs spawn in dense vegetation.
native to the basins
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.
Allowed: Only exotic or hybrid species, 3 kg + 1 fish per day, with handline, rod, simple pole, or spinning or baitcasting reel. Nets prohibited. Keep the minimum distances from dams and reservoirs.
Source: Portarias IEF nº 154/2011 (São Francisco), 155/2011 (East) and 156/2011 (Grande/Paranaíba)
Allowed: Sport and guided fishing only in reservoirs, catch and release with barbless hooks (no keeping, transporting or eating). Subsistence: up to 5 kg per day, for household consumption only.
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 fishing from a boat or from shore with handline, rod, spinning or baitcasting reel, up to 5 kg + 1 fish. Prohibited within 1,000 m of dams, waterfalls and rapids, and within 500 m of confluences. Floodplain lakes have a longer closed season (see next item).
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 50/2007
Allowed: No fishing in the floodplain lakes during the period.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 50/2007
Allowed: The same recreational-angler exceptions as in Portaria 48/2007 apply (handline or rod, 5 kg + 1 fish), unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
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.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: Subsistence fishing only.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: See the exceptions in Portaria 48/2007 and the state rules for each bank.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Small fish: take the hook out carefully, in the water, and release it quickly.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01, b = 3.0; 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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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.
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