
Also known as:
Pike cichlid
Pirapoucou
Pirapucu
Picuda
Bicudo
Wayabra
Common Group Name:
Pike-characids
Family Name:
Ctenoluciidae
Genus Name:
Boulengerella
Species Name:
Boulengerella cuvieri
Dispatch Method:
Beware of the sharp teeth of bicuda when handling them. The eating qualities of these fish can be greatly improved if they are killed humanely by iki jime or a firm knock to the head before placing them in an ice slurry after bleeding.
Fish Description:
- Bicuda have a long, barracuda-like body, greenish grey dorsally fading to yellowish white ventrally with a line of darker scales along the lateral line. The tail is dirty yellow with a black spot on the tail wrist.
- The mouth is long and filled with numerous small sandpaper like teeth.
Fish Distribution:
- The bicuda is endemic to the Amazon, Tocantins, Essequibo, Orinoco and Oyapock River Basins , as well as the Amapá and Pará rivers, in South America.
- A pelagic ambush predator, juvenile bicuda occur in backwaters and side streams, while the largest adult fish often frequent mid river structures adjacent to areas of high water flow.
Fish Size Common Length:
Common between 40-70 cm, maximum size around 100cm and over 8 kg.