Cichlid of warm waters of the upper Negro River and the Orinoco, which digs a hole in the bottom to spawn. It has commercial use and is sold for the aquarium.
Also called: ciclídeo-de-três-manchas, threespot eartheater
The ciclídeo-de-três-manchas belongs to the family Cichlidae and is one of the cichlids that feed near the bottom. It reaches 20.9 cm. It occurs in the upper Negro River, in Brazil, and in the Orinoco basin, in Colombia and Venezuela. It lives between the bottom and midwater, in warm waters of 27 to 30 degrees, with a pH from 6 upward. To spawn, it digs a hole in the bottom and covers the eggs with coarser material. The young leave the hole on their own. In fishing 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 threespot eartheater.
fun facts
The young leave the hole on their own.
how to recognize it
identification
Three dark spots along the body, a trait that gives the species its name in other languages. It is a cichlid with a body compressed sideways and a spiny dorsal fin. To identify it, look at the spots and the place: it lives in the upper Negro River and the Orinoco basin, in warm waters.
how threespot 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 upper Negro River, in Brazil, and in the Orinoco basin, in Colombia and Venezuela, in warm waters.
Habitat: Warm waters, between 27 and 30 degrees, from the bottom to midwater, where it digs holes to spawn.
native to the basins
Amazon
what the law says
rules for the threespot 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 carefully 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 = 0.02344, b = 3.01; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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.
