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Leporinus vanzoi

Leporinus vanzoi

Leporinus vanzoi is a small, fast-water specialist locked entirely within the Tapajós river basin of the Brazilian Amazon — one of countless distinct fish species shaped by millions of years of Amazonian drainage isolation. Maxing out around 4.

6 inches, it lives in rocky rapids reaches that most anglers never reach, and is of primary interest to ichthyologists and aquarists rather than rod-and-reel fishermen.

Scientific Name: Leporinus vanzoi

Also known as Piau-do-araguaia

Physical Characteristics:
  • Small and elongate with a moderately compressed body, pointed snout, and a subterminal mouth set beneath it — the mouth points slightly downward, suited for feeding along rocky surfaces.
  • Dark blotches along the trunk are the key field mark; teeth are forward-projecting and chisel-like, built for scraping rather than biting.
  • Three unicuspid teeth on the premaxilla and four on the dentary, plus 12 scale rows around the caudal peduncle, are the diagnostic details that separate it from similar Leporinus species. Most individuals run under 3.9 inches; the largest on record reached about 4.6 inches.

What to know

Habitat Distribution

  • Restricted entirely to the Tapajós river basin in Pará state, Brazil — specifically the Teles Pires, Juruena, and Tapajós rivers within the southern Amazon drainage.
  • A rheophile tied to rocky, fast-flowing water; the type locality is a rapids reach at Cachoeira Lombo de Anta on the Rio Tapajós, and its range does not extend beyond this drainage.

Specific Spots

  • Rocky rapids and waterfall reaches are the documented core habitat — hard substrate under fast current is where this species has been collected.
  • As a benthopelagic fish in turbulent water, it holds close to the bottom where boulders break the current and create lower-velocity pockets amid the flow.

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