Hoplias lacerdae
The trairão of the Ribeira de Iguape valley and the Uruguay River basin. Robust and aggressive, it attacks topwater lures in eddies with submerged timber.
Also called: trairão, trairaçu, tariputanga, trairão-do-sul
It is the trairão originally described from the Ribeira de Iguape River, in Iporanga (SP). After the 2009 revision, the name Hoplias lacerdae was restricted to the trairão of the Ribeira de Iguape (SP and PR) and the Uruguay River basin (SC, RS and Uruguay), where it shares the range with another species of the group, H. australis. It can exceed 75 cm standard length and 4 kg. An ambush predator, it lives in eddies, pools and lagoons connected to the river, under timber and vegetation, and attacks fish that swim nearby. It is raised in fish farms, and the name 'trairão' and the scientific name H. lacerdae appear in pay lakes in other regions for fish of not always known origin.
Robust, cylindrical body, large head and wide mouth with strong conical teeth, no teeth on the tongue, and inner jaw margins parallel, which separates trairões from the common trahira. Has 43 to 48 scales in the lateral line and 6 to 8 pores under the lower jaw, more than the southeastern trairão (4 to 6). In the Uruguay basin it lives alongside H. australis, which always has 5 pores: in the field, only a specialist can tell them apart.
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Ribeira de Iguape River basin (SP and PR) and Uruguay River basin (SC, RS and Uruguay). Fish farm stock under this name turn up in pay lakes and reservoirs in other regions.
Habitat: Eddies and river pools, backwater lagoons and reservoirs; banks with submerged timber, roots and submerged vegetation.
native to the basins
states
São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul
Spring and summer. In southern winter it eats little and stays at the bottom of the pools.
Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Feeds by day and early at night; peaks are early morning and late afternoon on hot days.
Water below about 18 °C slows its activity.
Cold fronts knock the bite down; warm, stable days are best.
Little effect.
Runoff muddies the water and scatters the fish for a few days.
Stable, clear river concentrates fish in the eddies.
Sensitive to noise near the bank.
A light chop helps topwater lures.
Shallow, close to the structure; in the cold it drops into the pools.
lures
natural baits
accessories
Topwater lure held still over the submerged timber, with short twitches. Give it time to take the lure before setting the hook.
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 of threatened species (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026).
The Goiás rule lists the trairão Hoplias cf. lacerdae as non-native, from fish farming, in the São Francisco basin, with free catch and transport. Outside its natural range, it is also forbidden to release the fish into another river or reservoir.
Source: IN Semad-GO nº 17/2026, art. 5º and Annex II (São Francisco basin)
Allowed: Only exotic or hybrid species, 3 kg + 1 fish per day, with handline, rod, simple pole, or spinning or baitcasting reel. Nets prohibited. Keep the minimum distances from dams and reservoirs.
Source: Portarias IEF nº 154/2011 (São Francisco), 155/2011 (East) and 156/2011 (Grande/Paranaíba)
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
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
Lip grip and long-nose pliers: the teeth cut. Support the body and release it in the same eddy.
White, firm flesh, with Y-shaped bones; fried in steaks or as boneless fillets.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00724, b = 3.1; 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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