blackspot wrasse
Decodon melasma · Labridae · predator
Pink wrasse with a black spot on its flank, living on sand and gravel bottoms from 40 to 160 m. It usually appears as bycatch of shrimp trawlers.
Also called: bodião-de-mancha-negra, señorita de mancha negra, resbalosa, blackspot wrasse
- maximum
- 32 cm
- depth
- 40–160 m
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
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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 blackspot wrasse
who is the blackspot wrasse
The blackspot wrasse is of the family Labridae and reaches 32 cm. It has an elongated, slightly compressed body, a large pointed head, and canine teeth, two pairs at the front of each jaw. It lives on sand bottoms with gravel and on isolated reefs, from 40 to 160 m, from the Gulf of California to Ecuador. Each individual starts as a female and later becomes a male. It usually appears in open sea as bycatch from the shrimp trawlers, and has little interest for rod fishing.
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 blackspot wrasse.
fun facts
- It often appears in the nets of shrimp trawlers, even though it is not the target of the fishery.
identification
Pink-bodied wrasse with a lighter belly and a black spot on its flank, just above the rear edge of the pectoral fin. The anal fin is white. The elongated, compressed body and the large, pointed head, with large canine teeth somewhat crooked at the front of the jaws, help identify it among wrasses.
where found
Found in the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California to Ecuador, on sand bottoms and isolated reefs.
Habitat: Sand bottoms with gravel and isolated reefs, from 40 to 160 m deep.
rules for the blackspot wrasse
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.
Poses no danger to anglers. Because it lives at depths of 40 to 160 m, it suffers when brought up quickly, so release it promptly and carefully.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00955, b = 3.1; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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: Decodon melasma (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Decodon melasmaNames by country and language.
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: