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catalog Callichthyidae · omnivore

cascarudo

Callichthys callichthys

Freshwateressential profile

Small armored catfish of puddles and streams across almost all of South America east of the Andes, which breathes air and tolerates water without oxygen. It reaches 21 cm and is caught on a small scale.

Also called: camboatá, tamboatá, tamoatá, cascarudo, soldado

forecast for cascarudo where found
Scientific illustration of Cascarudo
maximum
21 cm
record/max.
0.1 kg
overview

who is the cascarudo

The camboatá is an armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae, with an elongated body protected by bony plates and barbels around the mouth. It reaches 21 cm and up to 140 g. It lives near the bottom, in still waters covered with dense vegetation and also in streams with current, and it tolerates even water without oxygen, because it breathes air through the intestine. When its habitat dries up, it can leave the water and look for another. Adults feed at night on fish, insects and plants. The male builds a bubble nest and defends it firmly. It has little commercial importance in fishing and is also sold for the aquarium.

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 cascarudo; in the meantime, see the similar species.

fun facts

  • It breathes air through the intestine and can leave the water to look for another habitat when its own dries up.
  • The male builds a bubble nest of air under a large leaf, and the eggs hatch in 4 to 6 days.
how to recognize it

identification

Elongated armored catfish, its body covered with bony plates and barbels around the mouth, like the whole family Callichthyidae. The head is flattened, and during spawning the male's belly turns orange and the pectoral spines grow longer and thicker. It can be confused with the tamoatá (Hoplosternum littorale), from the same family and the same habitats: check the flattened head and the place where it is caught.

how cascarudo 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.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

Occurs in most basins of South America east of the Andes, north of Buenos Aires: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

Habitat: Bottom of still waters with dense vegetation and of streams with current, in a subtropical climate.

native to the basins

AmazonTocantins-AraguaiaWestern Northeast AtlanticParnaíbaEastern Northeast AtlanticSão FranciscoEast AtlanticSoutheast AtlanticSouth AtlanticUruguayParanáParaguay (Pantanal)
calendar and clock

when to fish

best time of day

0h6h12h18h sunrise ~6amsunset ~6pm

Nighttime. Adults feed at night.

what the law says

rules for the cascarudo

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 the Paraná River basin

01/11 to 28/02SPPRMGGOMSDF

Allowed: Recreational fishing only for non-native species and hybrids (peacock bass, tilapia, black bass, carp, croaker, etc.; piauçu remains prohibited), with handline, simple pole, or rod with spinning or baitcasting reel, up to 10 kg + 1 fish. In rivers, from shore only; in reservoirs, from a boat or from shore. Prohibited: floodplain lakes, aquatic-animal bait, within 1,500 m of dams and waterfalls, and within 500 m of confluences. Tournaments only in reservoirs and only with non-native species.

Source: IN IBAMA nº 25/2009

Closed season in Goiás (state rule)

01/11 to 28/02GO

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.

Source: IN Semad-GO nº 17/2026, arts. 8º to 11

Spawning closure (piracema) in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul

05/11 to 28/02MS

Allowed: Subsistence fishing by riverside residents and authorized scientific fishing. Decree 15.166/2019 (art. 11, §5) allows catch and release only in February and only in the channels of the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. For the rest of the period, not even catch and release is allowed. Check the Imasul portaria for each season.

Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019, art. 11; IN IBAMA nº 201/2008

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.

Source: IN Interministerial MAPA/MMA nº 10/2017; Resolução Cepesca-MT nº 1/2026; Lei estadual MT nº 9.096/2009, arts. 19-A and 27 (Leis 12.434/2024 and 13.159/2025)

Spawning closure (piracema) in the Araguaia River basin

01/11 to 28/02GOTOPAMT

Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with handline, rod, or spinning or baitcasting reel. Fish may only be eaten on site, not transported. Competitions prohibited. Subsistence: 3 kg + 1 fish. State rules (GO and TO) may be stricter.

Source: IN Interministerial MPA/MMA nº 12/2011

Spawning closure (piracema) in the Tocantins and Gurupi river basins

01/11 to 28/02TOPAMAGO

Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with on-site consumption. Subsistence: 5 kg + 1 fish. State rules may be stricter.

Source: IN Interministerial MPA/MMA nº 13/2011

Spawning closure (piracema) in the São Francisco River basin (rivers and reservoirs)

01/11 to 28/02MGBAPEALSEGODF

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

São Francisco: floodplain lakes

01/11 to 30/04MGBAPEALSEGODF

Allowed: No fishing in the floodplain lakes during the period.

Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 50/2007

Spawning closure (piracema) in the Uruguay River basin

01/10 to 31/01RSSC

Allowed: Recreational fishing from shore, or from a boat without motor. Only handline or rod, line and hook, one gear per angler, up to 5 kg. Prohibited in floodplain lakes, within 1,500 m of dams, within 500 m of confluences, and in stretches listed in the rule (e.g., Turvo River).

Source: IN IBAMA nº 193/2008

Spawning closure (piracema) in the southern basins (RS and SC, outside the Uruguay)

01/11 to 31/01RSSC

Allowed: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore, with a single hook, one gear per angler, up to 5 kg.

Source: IN IBAMA nº 197/2008

Spawning closure (piracema) in the Southeast basins

01/11 to 28/02ESMGRJSPPR

Allowed: In rivers, shore fishing only; in reservoirs, from a boat or from shore. Only non-native species, hybrids, and giant river prawn (camarão-gigante-da-malásia), up to 10 kg + 1 fish. Prohibited in floodplain lakes and within 1,000 m of dams.

Source: IN IBAMA nº 195/2008

Spawning closure (piracema) in the East basins

01/11 to 28/02BAESMGSE

Allowed: Same rules as the Southeast basins: only non-native species and hybrids, up to 10 kg + 1 fish; in rivers, shore fishing only.

Source: IN IBAMA nº 196/2008

Spawning closure (piracema) in the Parnaíba River basin

15/11 to 16/03PIMACE

Allowed: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore with handline, rod, spinning or baitcasting reel, up to 5 kg + 1 fish per day. Prohibited within 1,500 m of dams, waterfalls and rapids. Competitions prohibited.

Source: IN MMA nº 40/2005

Closed season in the Maranhão basins

01/12 to 30/03MA

Allowed: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore with handline or rod, up to 5 kg or 1 fish. Transport only within the municipality. Competitions prohibited.

Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 85/2003

Closed season in the Ceará basins

01/02 to 30/04CE

Allowed: Recreational fishing with handline or rod is outside the prohibition.

Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 04/2008

Closed season in the rivers of Marajó Island (PA)

01/01 to 30/04PA

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

Closed season in the Amazon basin in Amapá

15/11 to 15/03AP

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

Border rivers MT/RO and MT/PA

05/11 to 28/02MTROPA

Allowed: See the exceptions in Portaria 48/2007 and the state rules for each bank.

Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007

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.

It has rigid spines on the pectoral and dorsal fins that can prick: hold it carefully and remove the hook without forcing it. It survives for a while out of the water, but return it quickly.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01318, b = 3.1; 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

—

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.

  1. scientific FishBase: Callichthys callichthys (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Callichthys callichthysNames by country and language.
  3. official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026: Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
don't confuse

similar species

Illustration of Brown hoplo
Callichthyidae

Brown hoplo

Hoplosternum littorale

Small armored catfish that breathes air and lives in swamps. It builds a foam nest and is a traditional dish in Pará and Amapá.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Oct–Mar
Illustration of Spotted hoplo
Callichthyidae

Spotted hoplo

Megalechis picta

Armored catfish of swamps and flooded savannas in the Amazon and the Guianas, which buries itself in the mud during the dry season. It is caught with nets, and its flesh is prized in the region.

Freshwater