Cichla monoculus
The peacock bass of the Amazon's várzea lakes, common in muddy water and a staple on riverside tables.
Also called: popoca, tucunaré-comum, tucunaré-amarelo (Amazônia)
The most common peacock bass in the várzea lakes of the Solimões-Amazon channel and of many whitewater tributaries. It tolerates murkier water than the açu and lives in lakes, paranás, igapós and banks with floating grass. It hunts small fish and shrimp, usually alone or in pairs. It is abundant, fights well for its size and responds to almost any surface or mid-water artificial lure. In the dry season, when lakes shrink, it is easy to find at the mouths and along timber edges. It is an important food fish in communities and markets in Amazonas and Pará.
Yellow-green to golden body, without light spots. The three vertical bars are short and faint, sometimes just dark blotches on the upper flank. Black ocellus with a yellow ring at the base of the tail and belly that may turn orange. The açu has strong bars or the painted phase. The yellow has white spots on the lower fins. The borboleta has three round ocelli on the flank.
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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.
Várzea lakes and tributaries of the Solimões-Amazon, from Peru to Pará and Amapá. Recorded in Northeast dams, where identification is often confused with the yellow peacock bass.
Habitat: Várzea lakes, paranás, igapós, banks with floating grass and timber, lake mouths.
native to the basins
introduced in
states
Amazonas, Pará, Amapá, Acre, Rondônia, Roraima, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba
Falling water and dry season, from August to November in the central channel, are the best time. In high water the fish spreads through the flooded forest.
Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Feeds by day, peaking early in the morning and late in the afternoon.
Friagem (cold spell) reduces activity for one or two days.
Settled weather helps.
Small effect.
Light rain doesn't bother it; a storm does.
A drying lake concentrates fish. Repiquete (a fast rise) scatters them and shuts fishing down.
Less wary than the açu, but a motor along the bank scares it off.
Light chop helps at the surface; strong wind hurts on a big lake.
Shallow, usually down to 3 m.
lures
natural baits
accessories
In muddy water, prefer noisy lures and bright colors, such as prop baits and zara with rattles.
Trip on a live-aboard boat or at a lodge on the Rio Negro and its tributaries, in the dry season, after speckled peacock bass with surface and mid-water lures.
ready-made kitFly fishing in rivers and lakes of the Amazon and the Pantanal, from a boat or wading in shallow water.
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 the Rio Negro basin, from the Colombian border to the mouth of the Rio Branco, commercial peacock bass fishing is banned. Amateur and sport fishing remain allowed, but the fish may only be eaten by the angler himself.
Source: Decreto estadual nº 31.151/2011 (AM), Ipaam enforcement
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.
Commercial and recreational peacock bass fishing is prohibited in the Água Boa do Univini, Itapará, Xeruini, Jufari and Jauaperi rivers and their tributaries. Only sport fishing, by companies licensed by Femarh with a maximum of 2 barbless hooks per bait, and subsistence fishing by riverside residents, are allowed.
Source: Lei estadual RR nº 1.540/2021, amended by Lei nº 2.112/2025
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: 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
Simple handling: lip grip (boga) or thumb in the mouth, support under the belly, and quick release.
Highly prized: grilled over coals, fried or in fish stew. White flesh without fine bones.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01202, b = 3.06; FishBase (bayesiano, espécie + gênero)). 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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