Gymnotus carapo
The most used live bait in the Pantanal for surubim (pintado), cachara and dorado. A striped knifefish that breathes air and lives among water hyacinth.
Also called: tuvira, sarapó, morenita, carapó, ituí, tuí
Weak electric fish, of the same order as the poraquê, which uses low-voltage discharges to orient itself and communicate, without risk to people. It lives in calm, murky waters, among water hyacinths and flooded grass, breathes air when oxygen is short and survives in drying pools. It feeds at night on worms, insects, shrimp and small fish, and the male guards the eggs and larvae. The name Gymnotus carapo covers a complex of very similar species: in the Pantanal, the tuvira sold as bait includes others of the genus, such as G. inaequilabiatus and G. paraguensis, cited in the Mato Grosso do Sul rule. In the field, all are tuvira. Commercial catching is an activity for licensed professional fishers, with a minimum size, and moving tuvira from one basin to use in another spreads species where they did not exist.
Long body flattened on the sides, like a blade, with no dorsal or pelvic fins and no caudal fin: a long anal fin runs along the underside and makes the fish move forward and backward. Brown to grey, with alternating pale and dark oblique bands. Small mouth and eyes. The poraquê is much bigger, round-bodied and unbanded; the mussum is round-bodied and lacks the long anal fin.
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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.
From southern Mexico to Paraguay and Uruguay, including Trinidad, considering the carapo complex. In Brazil there are tuviras in almost every basin; in the upper Paraná (Paranaíba, in GO), Pantanal species taken as bait are already treated as non-native.
Habitat: Baías, corixos, swamps, lagoons and river edges with water hyacinth and flooded grass; murky, still water.
native to the basins
states
Amazonas, Pará, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Bahia, Maranhão, Piauí, Tocantins, Rondônia
Found all year. In MS, commercial catch by bait fishers closes during the spawning closure and reopens from February 20.
Nighttime. Active at night; by day it hides among water hyacinth roots.
Cold reduces activity.
Little effect.
Little known effect.
Little effect.
In the dry season it stays in pools and baías, easier to find; in high water it spreads across the flooded fields.
Not very sensitive.
Little effect.
Shallow, among the roots of floating vegetation.
natural baits
accessories
As bait, pass the hook through the mouth or across the rear of the body, without hitting the spine: the tuvira stays alive and moves a lot. Use only tuvira from the same basin where you plan to fish.
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).
In MS, tuvira caught as bait in the wild must be at least 17 cm. The resolution lists tuvira as Gymnotus inaequilabiatus and G. paraguaiensis; in the field they cannot be told apart from G. carapo.
Source: Resolução SEMAC-MS nº 3/2011, art. 2º, § 1º, a (as amended by Resolução SEMAC nº 22/2011)
In MS, catching tuvira as live bait for sale may only be done by licensed professional fishers, with an Imasul permit and transport slip. Amateur anglers and riverside residents may not use cast nets or mesh gear to catch bait. Catching is banned within 200 m of waterfalls, rapids, springs and confluences, and within 1,000 m of dams and nesting colonies. During the spawning closure, commercial bait catch reopens only from February 20.
The IEF-MG minimum size table sets 30 cm for sarapó or tuvira (Gymnotus carapo).
In Paraná, morenita (Gymnotus sylvius and G. inaequilabiatus) caught in the wild, including as bait, must be at least 20 cm. Bait from a licensed hatchery, with an invoice, is exempt from the size limit.
In Goiás, using a non-native or exotic species from another basin as live bait is treated as release or introduction of fauna and is banned; the rule already lists Pantanal tuviras as non-native in the Paranaíba. In Paraná, it is prohibited to use live non-native organisms from the area covered by the ordinance as bait.
Allowed: Recreational fishing only for non-native species and hybrids (peacock bass, tilapia, black bass, carp, croaker, etc.; piauçu remains prohibited), with handline, simple pole, or rod with spinning or baitcasting reel, up to 10 kg + 1 fish. In rivers, from shore only; in reservoirs, from a boat or from shore. Prohibited: floodplain lakes, aquatic-animal bait, within 1,500 m of dams and waterfalls, and within 500 m of confluences. Tournaments only in reservoirs and only with non-native species.
Source: IN IBAMA nº 25/2009
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: 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: Subsistence fishing by riverside residents and authorized scientific fishing. Decree 15.166/2019 (art. 11, §5) allows catch and release only in February and only in the channels of the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. For the rest of the period, not even catch and release is allowed. Check the Imasul portaria for each season.
Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019, art. 11; IN IBAMA nº 201/2008
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: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore with handline, rod, spinning or baitcasting reel, up to 5 kg + 1 fish. Prohibited within 1,000 m of dams, waterfalls and rapids, and within 500 m of confluences. Floodplain lakes have a longer closed season (see next item).
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 50/2007
Allowed: No fishing in the floodplain lakes during the period.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 50/2007
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: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore, with a single hook, one gear per angler, up to 5 kg.
Source: IN IBAMA nº 197/2008
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
Allowed: Same rules as the Southeast basins: only non-native species and hybrids, up to 10 kg + 1 fish; in rivers, shore fishing only.
Source: IN IBAMA nº 196/2008
Allowed: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore with handline, rod, spinning or baitcasting reel, up to 5 kg + 1 fish per day. Prohibited within 1,500 m of dams, waterfalls and rapids. Competitions prohibited.
Source: IN MMA nº 40/2005
Allowed: Recreational fishing from a boat or from shore with handline or rod, up to 5 kg or 1 fish. Transport only within the municipality. Competitions prohibited.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 85/2003
Allowed: Recreational fishing with handline or rod is outside the prohibition.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 04/2008
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
Leftover bait must go back to the same place it came from, never to another basin.
Not a food fish; it is used as bait.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00372, b = 2.93; 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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