american whitespotted filefish
Cantherhines macrocerus · Monacanthidae · omnivore
Filefish of reefs and rocky bottoms with many white spots, from Florida to São Paulo. It lives in pairs and has no interest for sport fishing.
Also called: peixe-porco-manchado, peixe-porco, porco-pintado, chivo, cachúa lija, whitespotted filefish
- maximum
- 46 cm
- depth
- 3–20 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
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 american whitespotted filefish
who is the american whitespotted filefish
Fish of the family Monacanthidae (filefishes), with a tall, compressed body, living on coral reefs and rocky bottoms with sea fans, between 3 and 20 m. It reaches 46 cm. It usually lives in pairs, and it occurs from Florida and Bermuda to São Paulo, as well as the St. Peter and St. Paul Rocks. It feeds on sponges, sea fans, algae and hydroids, and also on stinging corals. It is valued for aquariums and is not sought after by sport 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 american whitespotted filefish.
identification
Adults are brown, with or without many large white spots on the body and head. The tail fin is black, with a curved white bar in the middle and two white spots at the base. Males can be told apart from same-size females by the larger spines on the caudal peduncle and by the orange color of a tuft of bristles in front of those spines.
where found
In Latin America it occurs from the Caribbean and northern South America to São Paulo, Brazil, including the St. Peter and St. Paul Rocks and Trindade Island.
Habitat: Coral reefs and rocky bottoms, between 3 and 20 m deep, with sea fans.
coast
rules for the american whitespotted filefish
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.
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.
Males have larger spines on the caudal peduncle, which can cut the hand. Handle with care.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02042, b = 2.95; 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: Cantherhines macrocerus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Cantherhines macrocerusNames by country and language.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026: Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
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: