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catalog Anostomidae · omnivore

lipstick leporinus

Leporinus arcus

Freshwateressential profile

Freshwater piau from the Guianas and Venezuela, up to 40 cm. Has commercial fishing and aquarium use, and rarely turns up on the line of a recreational angler.

Also called: piau-batom, piau, lipstick leporinus

Scientific illustration of Lipstick leporinus
maximum
40 cm
overview

who is the lipstick leporinus

The piau-batom is a fish of the family Anostomidae, the group of freshwater piaus and aracus, reaching 40 cm. It lives in coastal rivers of the Guianas and Venezuela and in the upper Amazon basin. Like other anostomids, it is omnivorous and feeds on plants, insects and small invertebrates. Pairs breed in stretches with very dense plants. The species has commercial and aquarium use. In recreational fishing, it is an occasional catch.

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 lipstick leporinus; in the meantime, see the similar species.

how to recognize it

identification

Elongated, fusiform body with a small mouth and incisor-like teeth, traits of the piaus. Piaus look alike, so size and region help: the piau-batom reaches 40 cm and lives in the coastal rivers of the Guianas and Venezuela, while the aracu (Leporinus granti) from the Mana basin stays at 20 cm.

how lipstick leporinus fishing looks

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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.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

Coastal rivers of Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Venezuela, and the upper Amazon River basin.

Habitat: Freshwater rivers, in stretches with dense plants, where pairs spawn.

what the law says

rules for the lipstick leporinus

Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.

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.

Delicate river fish: if you catch it by mistake, hold it with wet hands, remove the hook from its small mouth and release it quickly, without leaving it out of the water.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01, b = 3.04; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). 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: Leporinus arcus (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 Leporinus arcusNames by country and language.
don't confuse

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