| Summary: | We studied the buccopharyngeal cavity anatomy of 20 male and female trairão, Hoplias lacerdae (Miranda Ribeiro, 1908) specimens, with 24.41cm average standard-length, fixed in 4% formalin aqueous solution and/or diaphanized and colored with alizarin and alcian blue. The anatomical characteristics of the H. lacerdae buccopharyngeal cavity are: thin lips adherent to the respective maxilla; oral dentition consisting of canine and conical teeth, implanted in the premaxillary, maxillary and dentary arches, and conical teeth in the ectopterygoid and accessory ectopterygoid; smooth tongue, with free apex; dentigerous plates, with conical teeth covering gill arches on the external and internal faces; few gill rakes in gill arch I, with denticles; pharyngeal dental apparatus developed, with conical teeth implanted in the II, III and IV pharyngobranchial and V ceratobranchial cartilage; mucosal layer without significant relief. These characteristics confirm the trairão as being carnivorous in habit, preferentially ictiophagous.
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