Pterygoplichthys etentaculatus
Armored catfish up to 32 cm and 860 g, from the São Francisco River basin, which breathes air facultatively.
Also called: cascudo, cascudo-do-São-Francisco
The cascudo-do-São-Francisco belongs to the family Loricariidae, the armored catfish: an elongated body covered in bony plates, with a suckermouth on the underside. It reaches 32 cm and 860 g. It lives on the bottom of freshwater rivers of the São Francisco basin, in tropical waters of 22 to 30 degrees and with a pH of 6.2 to 7.8. It breathes air facultatively, which helps when there is little oxygen in the water.
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 cascudo-do-são-francisco; in the meantime, see the similar species.
Elongated, flattened armored catfish with bony plates, a broad head and a suckermouth on the underside. It reaches 32.2 cm and 860 g, less than the cascudo-preto (Rhinelepis aspera), which also lives in the São Francisco and reaches 49 cm and 2.2 kg. It belongs to the same genus as the bodó (Pterygoplichthys pardalis), which lives in the Amazon, and the river where it was caught helps tell them apart.
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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 São Francisco River basin, in Brazil.
Habitat: Bottom of tropical freshwater rivers, with a pH of 6.2 to 7.8.
native to the basins
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.
Allowed: Only exotic or hybrid species, 3 kg + 1 fish per day, with handline, rod, simple pole, or spinning or baitcasting reel. Nets prohibited. Keep the minimum distances from dams and reservoirs.
Source: Portarias IEF nº 154/2011 (São Francisco), 155/2011 (East) and 156/2011 (Grande/Paranaíba)
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.
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
Allowed: No fishing in the floodplain lakes during the period.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 50/2007
Not dangerous. It has plates on the body and can hurt your hand: hold it by the trunk, carefully.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02188, b = 2.95; 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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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.
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