Piaractus mesopotamicus × Piaractus brachypomus
Hybrid of pacu and pirapitinga, produced in fish farms and released into pay lakes, where it fights like a pacu. Never release it into a river.
Also called: patinga
A hybrid produced in fish farming by crossing pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) with pirapitinga (P. brachypomus), the two species of the genus Piaractus. Along with tambacu and tambatinga, it is one of the round-fish hybrids raised in Brazil and turns up in pay lakes, where it feeds and fights like a pacu. A pond study showed growth similar to pacu, unlike its reputation for growing much bigger. It does not exist in the wild: when it appears in a river, it is an escape from a tank or an irregular release. Because hybrids in this group interbreed with the species that produced them, release threatens the genetics of the native pacu of the Plata basin. Releasing patinga into a river, lake or reservoir without a licence is an environmental offence. At a pay lake, follow the house rules.
Tall, rounded body like the pacu's, and colour intermediate between the parents: dark grey to silvery on the back and flanks, with pale chest and belly, sometimes yellowish or orange. In practice it cannot be safely separated from pacu or other hybrids by appearance: only genetic testing confirms it. At a pay lake, the name the house uses usually shows what was stocked.
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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.
Fish farms and pay lakes, with published records in SP and MS. There is no natural population; fish in rivers and reservoirs come from escapes or releases.
Habitat: Pay lake ponds, tanks and reservoirs; in rivers, near fish farms.
introduced in
states
São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul
Warm months. In winter it feeds little, mainly in SP and the South.
Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Feeds during the day; at pay lakes, feeding time with pellets and late afternoon are best.
Water below 22 °C reduces activity.
Hot, muggy days are the best.
Little effect.
Cold rain slows activity; summer rain may activate it.
Not very relevant at pay lakes.
Used to people, but it spooks at a thump on the deck.
Wind pushes the feed and concentrates the fish on the downwind bank.
At the surface when it eats feed; mid-water and bottom in the cold.
lures
natural baits
accessories
Groundbait float with feed and a hook 20 to 40 cm down. Set the hook when the float moves off and hold the first run: its teeth cut thin line.
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: Risk of hybridization with native pacu if released into the wild.
Introducing an exotic species, a hybrid or a fish outside its natural range without a technical opinion and licence is a federal environmental offence. This includes releasing fish from a tank, pay lake or aquarium into a river or reservoir.
Source: Lei federal nº 9.605/1998, art. 31, and Decreto federal nº 6.514/2008, art. 25
In Goiás it is banned to release genetically modified organisms, hybrids, non-native or exotic organisms into natural aquatic environments. Patinga does not appear in Annex II of species with free catch, which lists tambacu.
In the inland basins of the Paraná, non-native, exotic and hybrid fish are exempt from size rules, and it is banned to release those caught while fishing.
Mato Grosso's fishing law penalizes anyone who introduces native, exotic or non-native species without authorization from the environmental agency, with a surcharge per kilogram or per fish.
Source: Lei estadual MT nº 9.096/2009, art. 46 (as amended by Lei nº 12.197/2023) - Sema-MT
At a pay lake, follow the house rules. In a river, don't release it: it is a hybrid outside its natural environment; in Paraná, releasing hybrids is banned.
Fatty, tasty flesh of a round-bodied fish; ribs and flank roasted over coals.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02455, b = 3.0; estimado (pacu, FishBase)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
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