capitão-do-bogotá
Eremophilus mutisii
Freshwater catfish endemic to Colombia, from the Bogotá River basin, reaching 30 cm. An excellent food fish, with commercial fishing.
Also called: capitão-do-bogotá, capitán, chimbe, bagrecito
- maximum
- 30 cm
who is the capitão-do-bogotá
The Bogotá captain is a freshwater catfish of the family Trichomycteridae, reaching 30 cm. It is endemic to Colombia, in the Bogotá River basin, in tropical water at 22 to 28 °C. It lives on the bottom and partly breathes air. It is an excellent food fish, with commercial fishing. It is the only food fish in the region that survived competition from introduced trout and carp. It was also taken to the Ubaté, Chiquinquirá and Tundama valleys.
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 capitão-do-bogotá.
fun facts
- It partly breathes air, which lets it survive in water low in oxygen.
identification
Elongated, bottom-dwelling catfish of the family Trichomycteridae, scaleless and with barbels, reaching 30 cm. Occurs only in Colombia, in the Bogotá River basin, from which it was taken to neighboring valleys. It partly breathes air, which lets it live in water low in oxygen.
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.
where found
Endemic to Colombia, in the Bogotá River basin, in tropical freshwater.
Habitat: Bottom of tropical-water rivers in the Bogotá River basin, Colombia.
rules for the capitão-do-bogotá
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.
No known danger to anglers. Hold it with wet hands, and release it if you won't take it home to eat.
in the kitchen
An excellent food fish, with commercial fishing.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00759, b = 3.0; 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.
- scientific FishBase: Eremophilus mutisii (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Eremophilus mutisiiNames by country and language.