longtail bass
Hemanthias leptus
A fish of hard bottoms, 60 to 300 m deep, with a long tail. It is occasionally caught on the line and is also taken by commercial fishing.
Also called: garoupa-de-cauda-longa, cabrilla robalo, cachucho ojón, longtail bass
- maximum
- 50 cm
- depth
- 60–300 m
who is the longtail bass
A fish of the family Anthiadidae, up to 50 cm, with a typical size near 35 cm. It lives on hard bottoms, usually 60 to 300 m deep, and occurs in the western Atlantic, from South Carolina and the northern Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America. In fishing it sometimes appears on the line and is caught commercially. The long pelvic fin and deeply forked caudal fin help identify it.
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 longtail bass.
identification
Silvery body with a pinkish tint on the back and a silver-white belly. A yellow line runs from the snout, below the eye, to the rear edge of the gill cover. The pectoral fin is pink and the other fins are yellow. The pelvic fin is long, with its tip reaching past the origin of the anal fin, and the caudal fin is deeply forked, with the upper lobe projecting backward.
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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.
where found
It occurs from the Caribbean to the northern coast of South America, in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas and Brazil, on hard bottoms of the shelf and slope.
Habitat: Hard bottoms of the shelf and slope, 60 to 300 m deep.
coast
rules for the longtail bass
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.
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.
Harmless to anglers. As it lives on bottoms of 60 m or more, a rapid ascent can cause barotrauma, so release it carefully.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01413, 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: Hemanthias leptus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Hemanthias leptusNames by country and language.
- 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.