Bicuda with a long snout and sharp teeth, with a dark band along the body, from the Negro and Amazon rivers. It is caught for trade and displayed in public aquariums.
Also called: bicuda-listrada, bicuda, agujeta, striped pike-characin
The bicuda-listrada belongs to the family Ctenoluciidae, the bicudas, with an elongated body and a long snout full of teeth. It reaches 25.8 cm standard length and up to 75 g. It occurs in the Negro and Amazon rivers in Brazil, and in the southern upper Orinoco in Venezuela. It lives in midwater, in acidic waters with a pH between 5.2 and 6.8. It is a fish predator, like other bicudas. In fishing it has commercial use and is also displayed in public aquariums.
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 pike-characin; in the meantime, see the similar species.
how to recognize it
identification
A narrow dark stripe along the side of the body, running from behind the eye to the caudal peduncle. Dark transverse bars on the lobes of the tail fin. The base of the dorsal fin lies well behind the anal fin line, a trait that separates it from almost all bicudas, except Boulengerella maculata, from which it is told apart by the stripe and the bars.
how striped pike-characin 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 Brazil and Venezuela, in the Negro, Amazon and southern Orinoco basins.
Habitat: Acidic-water rivers of the Amazon basin, in midwater.
native to the basins
Amazon
what the law says
rules for the striped pike-characin
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.
It has sharp teeth in its snout. Hold it behind the head and take the hook out carefully.
calculator
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00347, b = 3.16; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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.
