Bottom-dwelling catfish of the upper Amazon basin, in Brazil and Ecuador. It is used in commercial fishing and in public aquariums, with no importance for sport fishing.
Also called: bagre-barbudo-amazônico, bagre-barbudo, zúngaro, barbudo
Catfish of the family Pseudopimelodidae, with a broad head, large mouth and barbels around the mouth. It reaches 19.5 cm and can weigh up to 105 g. It lives in the upper Amazon basin, in Brazil and Ecuador, close to the river bottom. In Ecuador it is called bagre and barbudo. It is used in commercial fishing and kept in public aquariums. It is a small bottom-dwelling catfish, of little interest to sport fishing and harmless to anglers.
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 bagre-barbudo-amazônico; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
Besides being caught in commercial fishing, it is kept in public aquariums.
how to recognize it
identification
Bottom-dwelling catfish with a broad head and barbels around the mouth, typical of the family Pseudopimelodidae. It lives along the riverbed of the upper Amazon basin. It can be confused with Batrochoglanis raninus, which also lives in the Amazon basin; this one hides under branches and rocks in shaded, deep stretches, and also occurs in the Guianas.
how bagre-barbudo-amazônico fishing looks
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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.
Occurs in the upper Amazon basin, in Brazil and Ecuador, close to the river bottom.
Habitat: River bottoms of the upper Amazon basin, close to the riverbed.
native to the basins
Amazon
what the law says
rules for the bagre-barbudo-amazônico
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.
Not dangerous to anglers. Like other catfish, it has fin spines: hold it firmly by the body, with a wet hand, away from the barbels.
calculator
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00676, 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.
