Leporinus maculatus · Anostomidae · omnivore
Aracu-pinima, found in fast current in the coastal rivers of the Guianas, the Amazon basin and the São Francisco. It eats invertebrates and has commercial and aquarium use.
Also called: aracu-pinima, aracu, spotted leporinus
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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.
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
The aracu-pinima is of the family Anostomidae and reaches 18 cm, and the female 20 cm. It lives in streams with fast current, over sand and rock bottoms. It feeds on invertebrates. Pairs spawn in dense vegetation, and males tend to stay near the spawning site. It occurs in coastal rivers of the Guianas and, in Brazil, in the São Francisco basin, with records also in the Amazon basin, in Amapá and Pará. It has commercial and aquarium use, but is rarely caught on rod.
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 spotted leporinus; in the meantime, see the similar species.
Elongated, rounded body like a piau, with a small mouth and incisor teeth. It has dark spots scattered over the body, as the scientific name maculatus (spotted) indicates. Females reach 20 cm and males 18 cm. Among the piaus of the Guianas it is small: the piau-meia-linha (Leporinus nigrotaeniatus) reaches 40 cm and the piau-da-guiana (Leporinus desmotes), 22 cm.
Coastal rivers of French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname, and the São Francisco basin. In Brazil there are also records in the Amazon basin, in Amapá and Pará.
Habitat: Streams with fast current and sand and rock bottoms; pairs spawn in dense vegetation.
native to the basins
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 Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
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: 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 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: 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
Small fish: take the hook out carefully, in the water, and release it quickly.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01, b = 3.0; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). 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.
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations:
Your location is saved only on this device and feeds the forecast, the map and the "today" on the home page.
