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Vandellia cirrhosa after a full meal of blood🐟

Photo: Ivan Sazima & Jansen Zuanon · CC BY 4.0

SpeciesSiluriformesTrichomycteridae
Fish

🐟Candiru

Vandellia cirrhosa Valenciennes, 1846

Vandellia cirrhosa, known by the common names candiru, cañero, toothpick fish, or vampire fish, is a species of parasitic freshwater catfish in the family Trichomycteridae native to the Amazon basin where it is found in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The name "candiru" is also used to refer to other catfish species, including the entire genus Vandellia.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Photos
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Measurements
4
Conservation status
LCLeast concern

IUCN Red List assessment, 2023.

Population trendUnknown
Key measurements
Body mass
not recorded
Body length
0.17 m
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
not recorded
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Candiru

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body length
0.17 mmaximum recorded
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04 · CC BY-NC 4.0

Trophic level
4.4
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04, estimate table · CC BY-NC 4.0

Diet
carnivoreaverage
Details ↓

From trophic level 4.4 (FishBase): <2.2 herbivore, 2.2–2.8 omnivore, >2.8 carnivore.

Danger to humans
traumatogenic
FishBase
Details ↓

Source: FishBase · v25.04 · CC BY-NC 4.0

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Candiru yet: body mass, shoulder height, top speed, bite force, maximum lifespan.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›orderSiluriformes
  4. ›familyTrichomycteridae
  5. ›genusVandellia
  6. ›speciesVandellia cirrhosa
Full lineage
  1. superclassRay-finned fish · Actinopterygii
  2. suborderLoricaroidei
  3. familyTrichomycteridae
  4. genusVandellia
All 13 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassRay-finned fish · Actinopterygii
  7. classActinopteri
  8. subclassNeopterygii
  9. superorderCharaciphysae
  10. orderSiluriformes
  11. suborderLoricaroidei
  12. familyTrichomycteridae
  13. genusVandellia
More

More about the Candiru

In other languages
Candiru (pt), Candiru (fr), 寄生鲇 (zh), Candiru (vi), candirú (ca), Vandellia cirrhosa (de) … and 22 more languages
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Tree of life

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