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catalog Acestrorhamphidae · omnivore

banded astyanax

Psalidodon fasciatus

Freshwateressential profile

The red-tailed lambari is a small fish of rivers and lagoons from Mexico to Argentina. It turns up now and then on the line of anglers using light rods.

Also called: lambari-do-rabo-vermelho, piaba-rabo-vermelho, lambari, colirroja, banded astyanax

forecast for banded astyanax where found
Scientific illustration of Banded astyanax
maximum
17 cm
record/max.
0.1 kg
overview

who is the banded astyanax

The red-tailed lambari belongs to the family Acestrorhamphidae and reaches 17 cm, with a common size of 12 cm. It lives in streams and rivers without strong current and in still areas such as lagoons and backwaters. It occurs in almost all freshwater basins of Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina. It is an active, lively fish that eats small fish and pieces of meat. It has little commercial use and sometimes ends up on the table, with tasty flesh full of bones. Because of its small size, it turns up on the line of anglers using light rods.

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 banded astyanax; in the meantime, see the similar species.

how to recognize it

identification

A spindle-shaped, silvery body, with the red tail that gives the fish its name. Among the lambaris, it is told apart from the yellow-tailed lambari (Astyanax lacustris) by tail color: red here, yellow to orange there. The branca (Oligosarcus jenynsii), from the south, is a relative, but it reaches 31 cm and has a larger mouth with visible teeth, while this lambari does not exceed 17 cm.

how banded astyanax 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.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

It occurs in almost all freshwater basins of Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina. In Brazil it appears in rivers of the Northeast, Southeast and South.

Habitat: Streams and rivers without strong current, as well as still areas such as lagoons and backwaters.

native to the basins

Eastern Northeast AtlanticSão FranciscoEast AtlanticSoutheast AtlanticSouth AtlanticParanáParaguay (Pantanal)Uruguay
what the law says

rules for the banded astyanax

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 the Paraná River basin

01/11 to 28/02SPPRMGGOMSDF

Allowed: Recreational fishing only for non-native species and hybrids (peacock bass, tilapia, black bass, carp, croaker, etc.; piauçu remains prohibited), with handline, simple pole, or rod with spinning or baitcasting reel, up to 10 kg + 1 fish. In rivers, from shore only; in reservoirs, from a boat or from shore. Prohibited: floodplain lakes, aquatic-animal bait, within 1,500 m of dams and waterfalls, and within 500 m of confluences. Tournaments only in reservoirs and only with non-native species.

Source: IN IBAMA nº 25/2009

Closed season in Goiás (state rule)

01/11 to 28/02GO

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.

Source: IN Semad-GO nº 17/2026, arts. 8º to 11

Spawning closure (piracema) in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul

05/11 to 28/02MS

Allowed: Subsistence fishing by riverside residents and authorized scientific fishing. Decree 15.166/2019 (art. 11, §5) allows catch and release only in February and only in the channels of the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. For the rest of the period, not even catch and release is allowed. Check the Imasul portaria for each season.

Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019, art. 11; IN IBAMA nº 201/2008

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.

Source: IN Interministerial MAPA/MMA nº 10/2017; Resolução Cepesca-MT nº 1/2026; Lei estadual MT nº 9.096/2009, arts. 19-A and 27 (Leis 12.434/2024 and 13.159/2025)

Spawning closure (piracema) in the São Francisco River basin (rivers and reservoirs)

01/11 to 28/02MGBAPEALSEGODF

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

São Francisco: floodplain lakes

01/11 to 30/04MGBAPEALSEGODF

Allowed: No fishing in the floodplain lakes during the period.

Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 50/2007

Spawning closure (piracema) in the Uruguay River basin

01/10 to 31/01RSSC

Allowed: Recreational fishing from shore, or from a boat without motor. Only handline or rod, line and hook, one gear per angler, up to 5 kg. Prohibited in floodplain lakes, within 1,500 m of dams, within 500 m of confluences, and in stretches listed in the rule (e.g., Turvo River).

Source: IN IBAMA nº 193/2008

Spawning closure (piracema) in the southern basins (RS and SC, outside the Uruguay)

01/11 to 31/01RSSC

Allowed: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore, with a single hook, one gear per angler, up to 5 kg.

Source: IN IBAMA nº 197/2008

Spawning closure (piracema) in the Southeast basins

01/11 to 28/02ESMGRJSPPR

Allowed: In rivers, shore fishing only; in reservoirs, from a boat or from shore. Only non-native species, hybrids, and giant river prawn (camarão-gigante-da-malásia), up to 10 kg + 1 fish. Prohibited in floodplain lakes and within 1,000 m of dams.

Source: IN IBAMA nº 195/2008

Spawning closure (piracema) in the East basins

01/11 to 28/02BAESMGSE

Allowed: Same rules as the Southeast basins: only non-native species and hybrids, up to 10 kg + 1 fish; in rivers, shore fishing only.

Source: IN IBAMA nº 196/2008

Closed season in the Ceará basins

01/02 to 30/04CE

Allowed: Recreational fishing with handline or rod is outside the prohibition.

Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 04/2008

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.

A small, delicate fish: remove the hook carefully, without squeezing the body, and return it to the water promptly.

in the kitchen

Sometimes it ends up on the table: the flesh is tasty, but it has many bones.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01318, b = 3.07; 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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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.

  1. scientific FishBase: Psalidodon fasciatus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Psalidodon fasciatusNames by country and language.
  3. 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.
don't confuse

similar species

Illustration of Lake tetra
Characidae

Lake tetra

Astyanax lacustris

The bamboo-pole fish. Many people's first fish, universal live bait and fried riverbank snack.

Freshwater
time of yearbest: Oct–Mar
Illustration of Pike characin (branca)
Acestrorhamphidae

Pike characin (branca)

Oligosarcus jenynsii

The branca is a large-toothed fish of the rivers and lagoons of Rio Grande do Sul, also present in Uruguay and Argentina. It eats other fish and is mainly of commercial use.

Freshwater