papillate sea catfish
Cathorops kailolae · Ariidae · omnivore
Catfish of southern Mexico and Guatemala, with papillae between the gill filaments. It lives mostly in fresh water, tolerates salt water and is a commercial catch.
Also called: bagre-papiloso, bagre de Kailola, bagre papilosa, papillate sea catfish
- maximum
- 25 cm
the right time
to be on the water
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…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
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.
trend for the coming weeks
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.
everything about the papillate sea catfish
who is the papillate sea catfish
The papillose catfish is a catfish of the family Ariidae and reaches 25.4 cm. It lives in the Lake Izabal basin, in Guatemala, and the Usumacinta River basin, between Guatemala and Mexico. It occurs mainly in fresh water, but also in places of high salinity. Like the other catfishes of the family, it has strong spines on the dorsal and pectoral fins that cause injuries. It is commercially fished and is not a target of sport fishing. It was separated from the estuarine catfish in a scientific review.
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 papillate sea catfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- The catfishes of the Usumacinta and Lake Izabal were treated as Cathorops aguadulce until the scientific review.
identification
Elongated catfish, without scales, with three pairs of barbels around the mouth. The most helpful trait is the presence of fleshy papillae between the gill filaments of the first two arches. It resembles the estuarine catfish, which also has these papillae, and the difference lies in body measurements, such as the distance from the snout to the origin of the dorsal fin, which is shorter in the papillose catfish.
where found
Lake Izabal (Guatemala) and Usumacinta River (Guatemala and Mexico) basins, in fresh water and, at times, in salty areas.
Habitat: Freshwater, in rivers and lakes, sometimes in places of high salinity.
rules for the papillate sea catfish
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
The dorsal and pectoral spines cut: hold it behind the head, without touching the fins, and use pliers to remove the hook.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00832, b = 3.16; 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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sources and references
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.
- scientific FishBase: Cathorops kailolae (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Cathorops kailolaeNames by country and language.
similar species
where each number comes from
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.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
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: