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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

卷鬚寄生鯰，又名牙簽魚，又稱藍色吸血鬼，為輻鰭魚綱鯰形目毛鼻鯰科的其中一種，為熱帶淡水魚，分布於南美洲亞馬遜河流域，本魚棲息在沙底質底層水域，體長可達17公分，屬寄生性，會進入大型魚類的鰓蓋中吸血。 卷鬚寄生鯰因誤入人類尿道，造成人類創傷而臭名昭著。不過學術界普遍認為：卷鬚寄生鯰鑽入人類尿道一事並無多少可信度。

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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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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