Cará from the Oiapoque and Approuague rivers, on the border of Amapá with French Guiana, which lives in rocky stretches of the larger rivers. It has commercial use and is sold for the aquarium.
Also called: cará-do-oiapoque, acará-tinga, cará, oyapock eartheater
The cará-do-Oiapoque is a cichlid of the family Cichlidae, of the cará group, fish that feed near the bottom. It reaches 17.5 cm. It occurs in the Oiapoque River basin in Amapá and the Approuague basin in French Guiana. It usually lives in rocky stretches of the larger rivers during low water, and is often caught in the eddies below falls with sand and rock bottoms. Males without a forehead bump have long filaments on the caudal, dorsal and ventral fins. It has commercial use and is 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 oyapock eartheater; in the meantime, see the similar species.
how to recognize it
identification
Cichlid with a body compressed sideways and a spiny dorsal fin, like the other caras. Males may have a bump on the forehead or, when they do not, long filaments on the caudal, dorsal and ventral fins. It lives in rocky stretches of the larger rivers and occurs only in the Oiapoque and Approuague rivers, which sets it apart from other caras in the country, such as the cará (Geophagus brasiliensis).
how oyapock eartheater 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.
Occurs in the Oiapoque River, in Amapá, and the Approuague River, in French Guiana, in rocky stretches of the larger rivers.
Habitat: Rocky stretches of the larger rivers in low-water season and eddies below falls, with sand and rock bottoms.
native to the basins
Amazon
what the law says
rules for the oyapock eartheater
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.
The dorsal fin has spines that can prick. Hold it by the body and remove the hook without forcing it.
calculator
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02291, b = 3.01; 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.
