shorthead drum
Larimus breviceps
Small croaker with a short, sturdy body, from coastal waters and estuaries, with a mud bottom. It is an important food fish and sometimes serves as bait.
Also called: pirocaia, oveva, pirocaia-branca, corvina cabezón, shorthead drum
- maximum
- 31 cm
- record/max.
- 0.5 kg
- depth
- 1–60 m
who is the shorthead drum
The pirocaia is a fish of the family Sciaenidae, with a short, sturdy body. It reaches 31 cm and up to 500 g. It lives in coastal waters down to 60 m and also enters estuaries. It is most often found on mud and sandy mud bottoms. It has a very large, strongly oblique mouth, with the lower jaw protruding and small, sharp teeth. It is part of commercial fishing, and is sometimes used as bait.
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 shorthead drum; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- The swim bladder has a pair of small horn-shaped appendages at the front.
identification
Silvery-gray body, darker above, with a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fins. The pelvic and anal fins are usually yellowish. The mouth is very large and strongly oblique, with the lower jaw protruding, and the chin has no barbels, only small pores. It may be confused with other coastal croakers, but the dark spot on the pectorals and the large mouth help identify it.
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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
Occurs in the western Atlantic, from the Antilles and Costa Rica to southern Brazil, with records also in Honduras. In Latin America, it occurs in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Haiti, Jamaica and Central America.
Habitat: Coastal waters and estuaries, 1 to 60 m, on mud and sandy mud bottoms.
coast
rules for the shorthead drum
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, but the teeth are small and sharp, so be careful when handling it.
in the kitchen
It is an important food fish and enters commercial fishing.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00891, b = 3.09; 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.
- scientific FishBase: Larimus breviceps (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Larimus brevicepsNames 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.
