Pseudoplatystoma punctifer
The sorubim with straight stripes from the Amazon and Araguaia. Night hunter, strong fighter and excellent flesh.
Also called: surubim, pintado (Araguaia-Tocantins)
The Amazon sorubim is the most common sorubim in the Amazon and Araguaia-Tocantins. For a long time it was called Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum, a name now applied only to fish from the Guianas. It has a long, flat head and a striped body with narrow dark bars alternating with pale bands. It hunts at night along shorelines, beaches, lake mouths and channels, eating fish such as curimatãs, piaus and sarapós. It migrates to spawn at the start of high water. It is one of the most valued leather catfish on the market and a frequent target of sport fishing, with natural bait on the bottom and mid-water lures at night.
Long, flat head, dark grey back with narrow straight dark vertical bars separated by thin white bands, and dark spots on the lower flank. White belly. The caparari has stripes that curve and form loops. The pintado of the Pantanal and Paraná has only spots, no bars. The cachara is typical of the Pantanal and Paraná.
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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.
Amazon main channel and tributaries, and the Araguaia and Tocantins rivers, where it is called pintado or sorubim.
Habitat: Shorelines with grass, beaches, lake and igarapé mouths at night; channels and pools by day.
native to the basins
states
Amazonas, Pará, Acre, Rondônia, Roraima, Amapá, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Goiás, Maranhão
Falling water and dry season, July to October. On the Araguaia, June to October.
Night and twilight. Hunts from dusk until dawn; sunset is usually the best time along the shoreline.
A cold snap (friagem) reduces night hunting.
A pressure drop before rain tends to trigger it.
New moon and dark nights are better along the shoreline.
Little effect.
A falling river concentrates the sorubim at lake mouths and beaches.
Moderate; avoid strong light on the water.
Little effect.
Shallow at night, deep by day.
lures
natural baits
accessories
Live bait on a beach shoreline at dusk is the classic. Give the sorubim time to swallow it before reeling in.
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 national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026).
In Amazonas the sorubim has a spawning closed season from Nov 15 to Mar 15. The rule uses the old name Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum. Riverine residents may take up to 5 kg a day for subsistence.
Source: Resolução CEMAAM nº 18/2014 (AM)
In the Madeira River basin in Rondônia, the sorubim is on the list of species with fishing banned from Nov 15 to Mar 15.
Ipaam enforces a minimum size of 80 cm for the sorubim. Confirm the rule with the state agency (Ipaam).
In Tocantins the pintado/sorubim may only be kept between 60 and 90 cm.
Source: Portaria NATURATINS/GABIN nº 47/2026 (annexes amended by Portaria nº 105/2026)
Until Dec 31, 2028, sorubim (the whole genus Pseudoplatystoma) caught in rivers of Mato Grosso may not be transported, stored or sold. Recreational anglers may only practice catch and release.
Source: Lei estadual nº 12.434/2024 (MT), arts. 19-B and 19-C of Lei 9.096/2009
On the Madeira River, the closed season protects pescada, surubim, caparari, pirapitinga and jatuarana. In the Guaporé-Mamoré sub-basin it applies to all species, except those listed in the rule.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
State closed season for caparari and surubim in Amazonas, published by Ipaam.
Source: Resolução Cemaam nº 21/2015 (confirmed only by press reports)
Transport, storage and sale are fully prohibited for 5 years from Jan 1, 2024 for: cachara, caparari, dorado, jaú, matrinchã (Brycon spp.), pintado/surubim (Pseudoplatystoma spp.), piraíba, piraputanga, pirarara, arapaima (pirarucu), trairão and peacock bass (tucunaré, Cichla spp.). For recreational anglers: catch and release only. These 12 species may not even be eaten on site, since the 2 kg or 1 fish limit excludes the art. 19-B list. The law cites jaú as Zungaro zungaro; we also include the Pantanal jaú (Z. jahu) out of caution. The list may still change: § 2 (exotic and predatory species), § 3 (review through study) and the 3-year assessment planned for 2027. A TJMT news report of Jun 2, 2026 confirms the 12 prohibited species. The STF denied a preliminary injunction in the ADIs against the law in 2024; we found no merits ruling.
Source: Portaria Naturatins nº 47/2026, Annex I, as amended by Portaria nº 105/2026
Source: INIs MPA/MMA nº 12/2011 (Araguaia) and 13/2011 (Tocantins), minimum size annexes
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 8/1996, art. 5º (Amazon basin, except Araguaia-Tocantins)
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.
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.
Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with handline, rod, or spinning or baitcasting reel. Fish may only be eaten on site, not transported. Competitions prohibited. Subsistence: 3 kg + 1 fish. State rules (GO and TO) may be stricter.
Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with on-site consumption. Subsistence: 5 kg + 1 fish. State rules may be stricter.
Allowed: In 2025/26: catch and release with barbless hooks and recreational fishing card; subsistence fishing on foot or from a rowboat, with simple pole or handline.
Source: Portaria Naturatins nº 244/2025 (2025/26 season); INIs MPA/MMA nº 12 and 13/2011
Allowed: The same recreational-angler exceptions as in Portaria 48/2007 apply (handline or rod, 5 kg + 1 fish), unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: Recreational anglers with handline or rod, line and hook are outside the Annex II prohibitions, with a bag limit of 5 kg + 1 fish, unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: Subsistence fishing only.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: See the exceptions in Portaria 48/2007 and the state rules for each bank.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Watch out for the spines. Hold it by the mouth with a glove and support the body; release it at the shore, facing into the current.
White, firm, boneless flesh: fried steaks, moqueca, stew, grilled over coals.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00589, b = 3.1; FishBase (estimado pela forma do corpo da família)). 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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