Pseudobatos horkelii
Brazilian guitarfish of the South Atlantic, from Rio de Janeiro to Argentina. It is critically endangered in Brazil: catching it is prohibited, and the right thing is to recognize it and release it.
Also called: viola, guitarra, Brazilian guitarfish
The Brazilian guitarfish belongs to the family Rhinobatidae and reaches 138 cm. It lives from the coast to the edge of the continental shelf, 1 to 150 m deep, between Rio de Janeiro and Argentina. It feeds on crustaceans, cephalopods, polychaetes and small fish. It is ovoviviparous: the embryos first feed on the yolk and then on a fluid from the uterus. Each litter has 4 to 12 pups. Females mature at around 90 cm. It is caught in commercial fishing, and in Brazil catching it is prohibited.
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 brazilian guitarfish.
Ray with a uniform back, olive brown or chocolate brown, without light or dark blotches. The snout has an oval dark patch, and the nostrils are longer. The head is flat on top, and the middle row of tubercles is larger and shaped like a spine. The first dorsal fin starts behind the tip of the pelvic fins.
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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.
Occurs in the Southwest Atlantic, from Rio de Janeiro to Argentina, passing through Uruguay, on coastal and shelf bottoms.
Habitat: From the coast to the edge of the shelf, on sand and mud bottoms, 1 to 150 m deep.
coast
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: On the national list of threatened species as CR. Global IUCN assessment: CR.
The national list (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026) classifies the species as CR. Under Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026 (art. 3), VU, EN and CR species have full protection: catch, transport, storage, processing and trade are banned. If you hook one by accident, release it right away, with minimal handling.
Source: Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026, art. 3º, and Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026
Many sharks and rays are on the national list (CR, EN or VU), with catching, keeping and transport prohibited, including those listed here. Species added to the list only in 2026 follow the 180-day deadline (until about Oct 25, 2026). If unsure of the species, release it.
Source: Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026 (art. 3º) and nº 1.667/2026 (Annex I)
Critically endangered species: capture is prohibited in Brazil. If you hook it by accident, release it right away, with minimal handling.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00282, b = 3.12; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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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.
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