42:
283:
392:). Another account was documented by biologist George A. Boulenger from a Brazilian physician, named Dr. Bach, who had examined a man and several boys whose penises had been amputated. Bach believed this was a remedy performed because of parasitism by candiru, but he was merely speculating, as he did not speak his patients' language. American biologist Eugene Willis Gudger noted that the area which the patients were from did not have candiru in its rivers, and suggested the amputations were much more likely the result of having been attacked by piranha.
60:
1123:
451:. Spotte and his colleague Paulo Petry took these materials and examined them at the institute, comparing them with Samad's formal paper. While Spotte did not overtly express any conclusions as to the veracity of the incident, he did remark on several observations that were suspicious about the claims of the patient and/or Samad himself.
349:
in 1829, who never actually observed it, but rather was told about it by an interpreter relaying the speech of the native people of the area, who reported that men would tie ligatures around their penises while going into the river to prevent this from happening. Other sources also suggest that other
336:
of attacks on humans abound, only one somewhat questionable case has evidence behind it, and some alleged traits of the fish have been discredited as myth or superstition. It is likely that, while the fish's spines can cause physical trauma, it merely poses as much danger of actually entering a human
463:
Samad's paper claims the fish must have been attracted by the urine. This belief about the fish has been held for centuries, but was discredited in 2001. While this was merely speculation on Samad's part based on the prevailing scientific knowledge at the time, it somewhat erodes the patient's story
395:
In 1891, naturalist Paul Le Cointe provides a rare first-hand account of a candiru entering a human body, and like
Lacerda's account, it involved the fish being lodged in the vaginal canal, not the urethra. Le Cointe supposedly removed the fish himself, by pushing it forward to disengage the spines,
459:
The documentation and specimen provided indicate a fish that was 133.5 mm in length and had a head with a diameter of 11.5 mm. This would have required significant force to pry the urethra open to this extent. The candiru has no appendages or other apparatus that would have been necessary
399:
However, the veracity of both Le Cointe's and
Poeppig's accounts are questionable, due to a trend of Europeans from various careers residing in Brazil including scientists, "explorers, medical men, and missionaries" regularly using exaggerated accounts of native people to advance their economic and
403:
Gudger, in 1930, noted there have been several other cases reported wherein the fish was said to have entered the vaginal canal, but not a single case of a candiru entering the anus was ever documented. According to Gudger, this lends credence to the unlikelihood of the fish entering the male
455:
According to Samad, the patient claimed "the fish had darted out of the water, up the urine stream, and into his urethra." While this is the most popularly known legendary trait of the candiru, according to Spotte it has been known conclusively to be a myth for more than a century, as it is
361:
in 1855, relates an allegation by local
Araguay fisherman, saying that it is dangerous to urinate in the river as the fish "springs out of the water and penetrates into the urethra by ascending the length of the liquid column." While Castelnau himself dismissed this claim as "absolutely
270:, but some others can grow to around 40 cm (16 in). Each has a rather small head and a belly that can appear distended, especially after a large blood meal. The body is translucent, making it quite difficult to spot in the turbid waters of its home. There are short sensory
482:
When subsequently interviewed, Spotte stated that even if a person were to urinate while "submerged in a stream where candiru live", the odds of that person being attacked by candiru are "(a)bout the same as being struck by lightning while simultaneously being eaten by a shark."
366:
of such a maneuver defy the laws of physics, it remains one of the more stubborn myths about the candiru. It has been suggested this claim evolved out of the real observation that certain species of fish in the Amazon will gather at the surface near the point where a
477:
The cystoscopy video depicts traveling into a tubular space (presumed to be the patient's urethra) containing the fish's carcass and then pulling it out backwards through the urethral opening, something that would have been almost impossible with the fish's spikes
253:
and other bodily openings; however, despite ethnological reports dating back to the late 19th century, the first documented case of the removal of a candiru from a human urethra did not occur until 1997, and even that incident has remained a matter of controversy.
471:. Spotte notes that the candiru does not possess the right teeth or strong enough dentition to have been capable of this. Additionally, the fish would most likely have died before it could have chewed even a somewhat large part of what was needed to reach it.
248:
Although some candiru species have been known to grow to a size of 40 centimetres (16 in) in length, others are considerably smaller. These smaller species are known for an alleged tendency to invade and parasitise the human
420:, in 1997. In this incident, the victim (a 23-year-old man named Silvio Barbossa, also known as "F.B.C.") claimed a candiru "jumped" from the water into his urethra as he urinated while thigh-deep in a river. After traveling to
962:
354:. Martius also speculated that the fish were attracted by the "odor" of urine. Later experimental evidence has shown this to be false, as the fish actually hunt by sight and have no attraction to urine at all.
754:
von
Martius, C. F. P. 1829.Preface, p. viii, of van Spix, J. B., and Agassiz, L. Selecta Genera et Species Piscium ouos in Itinere ocr Brnsiliam annis 1817-20 Collcgit ... Dr. J. B. de Spix, etc. Monachii,
817:
Gudger, E.W. (January 1930). "On the alleged penetration of the human urethra by an
Amazonian catfish called candiru with a review of the allied habits of other members of the family pygidiidae".
534:
382:, known only as Dr. Lacerda, who offered an eyewitness account of a case where a candiru had entered a human orifice. However, it was lodged in a native woman's vagina, rather than a
802:
CASTELNAU, FRANCIS DE. 1855. Expedition dans les
Partics Cent&es de I'AmPrique du Sud, 1843 a 1847. Animaux Nouveaux ou Rares-Zoology. Paris, 3: 50, p1. 24, fig. 4.
350:
tribes in the area used various forms of protective coverings for their genitals while bathing, though it was also suggested that these were to prevent bites from
554:
851:
BWLENGER, G. A. 1898a. Exhibition of specimens, and remarks upon the habits of the siluroid fish, Vandellia cirrhosu. Proc. Zool. Sot. London , p. 90 I.
460:
to accomplish this, and if it were leaping out of the water as the patient claimed, it would not have had sufficient leverage to force its way inside.
569:
1251:
1069:
1277:
860:
Le Cointe, Paul. 1922. L'Amazonie
Bresilienne: Le Pays; Ses Inhabitants, scs Ressources. Notes et Statistiques jusqu'en 1920. Paris, II: 365.
435:
Stephen Spotte traveled to Brazil to investigate this particular incident in detail. He recounts the events of his investigation in his book
386:. He relates that the fish was extracted after external and internal application of the juice from a Xagua plant (believed to be a name for
474:
Samad claimed he had to snip the candiru's grasping spikes off in order to extract it, yet the specimen provided had all its spikes intact.
1376:
975:
1225:
448:
439:. Spotte met Dr. Samad in person and interviewed him at his practice and home. Samad gave him photos, the original VHS tape of the
509:
1264:
768:
Spotte, Stephen; Petry, Paulo; Zuanon, Jansen A.S. (2001). "Experiments on the feeding behavior of the hematophagous candiru".
717:
658:
1269:
1351:
1356:
404:
urethra, based on the comparatively small opening that would accommodate only the most immature members of the species.
346:
1346:
1331:
1105:
731:
1361:
1303:
1282:
1336:
358:
1371:
627:
59:
870:
1177:
584:
678:
1366:
1127:
467:
Samad claimed the fish had "chewed" its way through the ventral wall of the urethra into the patient's
1308:
412:
To date, there is only one documented case of a candiru entering a human urethra, which took place in
1381:
1341:
41:
1256:
1139:
282:
413:
154:
1295:
345:
The earliest published report of candiru attacking a human host comes from German biologist
1199:
170:
8:
900:"Candiru—A Little Fish With Bad Habits: Need Travel Health Professionals Worry? A Review"
785:
631:
400:
social status through writing and building rapport with others with similar positions.
333:
309:
54:
961:"this was the only documented evidence of an accident involving humans." Anoar Samad,
830:
651:
Killers of the Seas: The
Dangerous Creatures That Threaten Man in an Alien Environment
612:(Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) with a Description of a New Species from Venezuela".
316:
and parasitize the gills of larger
Amazonian fishes, especially catfish of the family
1290:
1186:
1101:
927:
919:
834:
713:
654:
789:
635:
220:
where it is found in the countries of
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
1191:
911:
826:
777:
623:
546:
464:
by eliminating the motivation for the fish to have attacked him in the first place.
432:
388:
292:
274:
around the head, together with short, backward pointing spines on the gill covers.
271:
233:
213:
210:
131:
121:
24:
709:
363:
267:
1162:
375:
101:
781:
550:
1325:
923:
838:
674:
505:
313:
242:
1079:
1075:
931:
383:
368:
321:
305:
297:
238:
217:
1238:
1171:
317:
1230:
1217:
871:"What can the candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa) do? - Hektoen International"
701:
440:
371:
enters, having been attracted by the noise and agitation of the water.
1243:
915:
706:
Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals
71:
1133:
1071:
Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures
899:
1212:
1156:
1122:
976:"Can the candiru fish swim upstream into your urethra (revisited)?"
687:
518:
444:
202:
91:
607:
468:
425:
351:
301:
250:
227:
differs between authors. The word has been used to refer to only
206:
111:
608:
DoNascimiento, Carlos; Provenzano, Francisco (2006). "The Genus
379:
1204:
614:
421:
417:
81:
428:
surgery by Dr. Anoar Samad to remove the fish from his body.
910:(2). International Society of Travel Medicine: 119–124.
628:
10.1643/0045-8511(2006)6[198:TGHSTW]2.0.CO;2
1098:
Candiru: life and legend of the bloodsucking catfishes
648:
437:
Candiru: Life and Legend of the Bloodsucking Catfishes
424:
on October 28, 1997, the victim underwent a two-hour
286:
A candiru taking blood from the gills of a fish host.
965:. Google translation from Portuguese, with pictures.
443:procedure, and the actual fish's body preserved in
767:
1323:
378:documented a statement by a local physician in
241:, or even the two subfamilies Vandelliinae and
1029:
1027:
1002:
1000:
763:
761:
396:turning it around and removing it head-first.
262:Candirus are small fish. Members of the genus
649:Ricciuti, Edward R.; Bird, Jonathan (2003).
327:
1100:. Berkeley, Calif.: Creative Arts Book Co.
1024:
997:
758:
567:
456:impossible because of simple fluid physics.
266:can reach up to 17 cm (7 in) in
40:
812:
810:
808:
957:
955:
953:
732:"The Candiru: A Six-Inch SciCom Failure"
729:
449:National Institute of Amazonian Research
281:
673:
532:
504:
357:Another report, from French naturalist
277:
1324:
1095:
1057:
1045:
1033:
1018:
1006:
992:
944:
816:
805:
535:"Candiru: Amazonian parasitic catfish"
340:
1138:
1137:
968:
950:
897:
893:
891:
49:A candiru after a full meal of blood
308:, where they constitute part of the
13:
1377:Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes
1089:
888:
14:
1393:
1115:
1121:
1078:), by Bill Schutt, published by
898:Bauer, Irmgard L. (2013-03-01).
568:de Carvalho, Marcelo R. (2003).
58:
1063:
1051:
1039:
1012:
986:
938:
863:
854:
845:
819:The American Journal of Surgery
796:
770:Environmental Biology of Fishes
730:Gonzalez, Alyssa (2023-03-20).
407:
337:as any other fish of its size.
748:
723:
695:
667:
642:
601:
561:
539:Journal of Wilderness Medicine
526:
498:
257:
1:
831:10.1016/S0002-9610(30)90912-9
825:(1). Elsevier Inc.: 170–188.
486:
963:"Candiru inside the urethra"
491:
7:
1352:Freshwater fish of Colombia
10:
1398:
1357:Freshwater fish of Ecuador
904:Journal of Travel Medicine
18:
1146:
551:10.1580/0953-9859-2.4.304
328:Alleged attacks on humans
160:
153:
55:Scientific classification
53:
48:
39:
34:
1347:Pencil catfish of Brazil
1332:Fish of the Amazon basin
1096:Spotte, Stephen (2002).
677:; Pauly, Daniel (eds.).
508:; Pauly, Daniel (eds.).
1362:Freshwater fish of Peru
782:10.1023/A:1011081027565
583:(2): 82. Archived from
447:as his donation to the
362:preposterous," and the
1337:Fish described in 1846
533:Breault, J.L. (1991).
287:
1372:Parasitic vertebrates
285:
522:. July 2007 version.
359:Francis de Castelnau
347:C. F. P. von Martius
312:fauna. Candirus are
278:Location and habitat
982:. 7 September 2001.
691:. May 2017 version.
653:. The Lyons Press.
570:"Analyse D'Ouvrage"
341:Historical accounts
231:, the entire genus
1178:Vandellia cirrhosa
1148:Vandellia cirrhosa
736:Talk Science to Me
679:"Species in genus
512:Vandellia cirrhosa
431:In 1999, American
304:basins of lowland
288:
229:Vandellia cirrhosa
223:The definition of
201:, is a species of
186:Vandellia cirrhosa
164:Vandellia cirrhosa
1367:Parasites of fish
1319:
1318:
1291:Open Tree of Life
1140:Taxon identifiers
980:The Straight Dope
916:10.1111/jtm.12005
718:978-0-313-33922-6
660:978-1-58574-869-3
189:), also known as
178:
177:
19:For Candiru-açu (
1389:
1382:Trichomycteridae
1312:
1311:
1299:
1298:
1286:
1285:
1273:
1272:
1260:
1259:
1247:
1246:
1234:
1233:
1221:
1220:
1208:
1207:
1195:
1194:
1182:
1181:
1180:
1167:
1166:
1165:
1135:
1134:
1128:Trichomycteridae
1126:Data related to
1125:
1111:
1083:
1067:
1061:
1055:
1049:
1043:
1037:
1031:
1022:
1016:
1010:
1004:
995:
990:
984:
983:
972:
966:
959:
948:
942:
936:
935:
895:
886:
885:
883:
882:
867:
861:
858:
852:
849:
843:
842:
814:
803:
800:
794:
793:
765:
756:
752:
746:
745:
743:
742:
727:
721:
699:
693:
692:
671:
665:
664:
646:
640:
639:
605:
599:
598:
596:
595:
589:
574:
565:
559:
558:
553:. Archived from
530:
524:
523:
502:
433:marine biologist
389:Genipa americana
310:Neotropical fish
237:, the subfamily
214:Trichomycteridae
166:
146:V. cirrhosa
122:Trichomycteridae
63:
62:
44:
32:
31:
25:Cetopsis candiru
21:Cetopsis candiru
1397:
1396:
1392:
1391:
1390:
1388:
1387:
1386:
1342:Fish of Bolivia
1322:
1321:
1320:
1315:
1307:
1302:
1294:
1289:
1281:
1276:
1268:
1263:
1255:
1250:
1242:
1237:
1229:
1224:
1216:
1211:
1203:
1198:
1190:
1185:
1176:
1175:
1170:
1161:
1160:
1155:
1142:
1118:
1108:
1092:
1090:General sources
1087:
1086:
1068:
1064:
1056:
1052:
1044:
1040:
1032:
1025:
1017:
1013:
1005:
998:
991:
987:
974:
973:
969:
960:
951:
943:
939:
896:
889:
880:
878:
869:
868:
864:
859:
855:
850:
846:
815:
806:
801:
797:
766:
759:
753:
749:
740:
738:
728:
724:
710:Greenwood Press
700:
696:
672:
668:
661:
647:
643:
606:
602:
593:
591:
587:
572:
566:
562:
531:
527:
503:
499:
494:
489:
410:
364:fluid mechanics
343:
332:Although lurid
330:
280:
268:standard length
260:
174:
168:
162:
149:
57:
28:
17:
16:Species of fish
12:
11:
5:
1395:
1385:
1384:
1379:
1374:
1369:
1364:
1359:
1354:
1349:
1344:
1339:
1334:
1317:
1316:
1314:
1313:
1300:
1287:
1274:
1261:
1248:
1235:
1222:
1209:
1196:
1183:
1168:
1152:
1150:
1144:
1143:
1132:
1131:
1130:at Wikispecies
1117:
1116:External links
1114:
1113:
1112:
1106:
1091:
1088:
1085:
1084:
1062:
1050:
1038:
1023:
1011:
996:
985:
967:
949:
937:
887:
862:
853:
844:
804:
795:
776:(4): 459–464.
757:
747:
722:
694:
675:Froese, Rainer
666:
659:
641:
622:(2): 198–205.
600:
560:
557:on 2007-08-12.
545:(4): 304–312.
525:
506:Froese, Rainer
496:
495:
493:
490:
488:
485:
480:
479:
475:
472:
465:
461:
457:
409:
406:
376:Eduard Poeppig
342:
339:
329:
326:
296:) inhabit the
279:
276:
259:
256:
216:native to the
195:toothpick fish
176:
175:
169:
158:
157:
151:
150:
143:
141:
137:
136:
129:
125:
124:
119:
115:
114:
109:
105:
104:
102:Actinopterygii
99:
95:
94:
89:
85:
84:
79:
75:
74:
69:
65:
64:
51:
50:
46:
45:
37:
36:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1394:
1383:
1380:
1378:
1375:
1373:
1370:
1368:
1365:
1363:
1360:
1358:
1355:
1353:
1350:
1348:
1345:
1343:
1340:
1338:
1335:
1333:
1330:
1329:
1327:
1310:
1305:
1301:
1297:
1292:
1288:
1284:
1279:
1275:
1271:
1266:
1262:
1258:
1253:
1249:
1245:
1240:
1236:
1232:
1227:
1223:
1219:
1214:
1210:
1206:
1201:
1197:
1193:
1188:
1184:
1179:
1173:
1169:
1164:
1158:
1154:
1153:
1151:
1149:
1145:
1141:
1136:
1129:
1124:
1120:
1119:
1109:
1107:0-88739-469-8
1103:
1099:
1094:
1093:
1081:
1077:
1073:
1072:
1066:
1060:, p. 215
1059:
1054:
1048:, p. 214
1047:
1042:
1036:, p. 218
1035:
1030:
1028:
1021:, p. 216
1020:
1015:
1009:, p. 217
1008:
1003:
1001:
994:
989:
981:
977:
971:
964:
958:
956:
954:
947:, p. 211
946:
941:
933:
929:
925:
921:
917:
913:
909:
905:
901:
894:
892:
876:
872:
866:
857:
848:
840:
836:
832:
828:
824:
820:
813:
811:
809:
799:
791:
787:
783:
779:
775:
771:
764:
762:
751:
737:
733:
726:
719:
715:
711:
707:
703:
698:
690:
689:
684:
682:
676:
670:
662:
656:
652:
645:
637:
633:
629:
625:
621:
617:
616:
611:
604:
590:on 2009-02-07
586:
582:
578:
571:
564:
556:
552:
548:
544:
540:
536:
529:
521:
520:
515:
513:
507:
501:
497:
484:
476:
473:
470:
466:
462:
458:
454:
453:
452:
450:
446:
442:
438:
434:
429:
427:
423:
419:
415:
405:
401:
397:
393:
391:
390:
385:
381:
377:
372:
370:
365:
360:
355:
353:
348:
338:
335:
325:
323:
319:
315:
314:hematophagous
311:
307:
303:
299:
295:
294:
284:
275:
273:
269:
265:
255:
252:
246:
244:
243:Stegophilinae
240:
236:
235:
230:
226:
221:
219:
215:
212:
208:
204:
200:
196:
192:
188:
187:
182:
172:
167:
165:
159:
156:
155:Binomial name
152:
148:
147:
142:
139:
138:
135:
134:
130:
127:
126:
123:
120:
117:
116:
113:
110:
107:
106:
103:
100:
97:
96:
93:
90:
87:
86:
83:
80:
77:
76:
73:
70:
67:
66:
61:
56:
52:
47:
43:
38:
33:
30:
26:
22:
1147:
1097:
1080:Random House
1076:Google Books
1070:
1065:
1053:
1041:
1014:
988:
979:
970:
940:
907:
903:
879:. Retrieved
877:. 2023-09-14
874:
865:
856:
847:
822:
818:
798:
773:
769:
750:
739:. Retrieved
735:
725:
705:
697:
686:
680:
669:
650:
644:
619:
613:
609:
603:
592:. Retrieved
585:the original
580:
576:
563:
555:the original
542:
538:
528:
517:
511:
500:
481:
436:
430:
411:
408:Modern cases
402:
398:
394:
387:
384:male urethra
373:
369:urine stream
356:
344:
331:
322:Siluriformes
291:
289:
263:
261:
247:
239:Vandelliinae
232:
228:
224:
222:
218:Amazon basin
199:vampire fish
198:
194:
190:
185:
184:
180:
179:
171:Valenciennes
163:
161:
145:
144:
132:
112:Siluriformes
29:
20:
1239:iNaturalist
1172:Wikispecies
1058:Spotte 2002
1046:Spotte 2002
1034:Spotte 2002
1019:Spotte 2002
1007:Spotte 2002
993:Spotte 2002
945:Spotte 2002
702:Piper, Ross
414:Itacoatiara
318:Pimelodidae
258:Description
205:freshwater
1326:Categories
881:2024-04-16
875:hekint.org
741:2024-04-16
594:2009-06-22
487:References
441:cystoscopy
426:urological
290:Candirus (
924:1195-1982
839:0002-9610
821:(Print).
681:Vandellia
610:Henonemus
492:Citations
374:In 1836,
334:anecdotes
293:Vandellia
264:Vandellia
234:Vandellia
203:parasitic
140:Species:
133:Vandellia
78:Kingdom:
72:Eukaryota
1257:10454337
1213:FishBase
1163:Q1461873
1157:Wikidata
932:23464720
790:40239152
704:(2007),
688:FishBase
636:84355922
519:FishBase
445:formalin
306:Amazonia
118:Family:
92:Chordata
88:Phylum:
82:Animalia
68:Domain:
35:Candiru
1309:1019237
1231:5202897
478:intact.
469:scrotum
352:piranha
302:Orinoco
272:barbels
251:urethra
225:candiru
209:in the
207:catfish
181:Candiru
128:Genus:
108:Order:
98:Class:
23:), see
1296:584232
1283:648151
1270:682292
1244:418813
1205:214928
1104:
1082:, 2008
930:
922:
837:
788:
716:
657:
634:
615:Copeia
577:Cybium
422:Manaus
418:Brazil
298:Amazon
211:family
191:cañero
173:, 1846
1304:WoRMS
1252:IRMNG
1192:7FFRZ
1074:(via
786:S2CID
755:1829.
632:S2CID
588:(PDF)
573:(PDF)
197:, or
1278:NCBI
1265:ITIS
1226:GBIF
1218:8811
1102:ISBN
928:PMID
920:ISSN
835:ISSN
714:ISBN
655:ISBN
620:2006
380:Pará
300:and
1200:EoL
1187:CoL
912:doi
827:doi
778:doi
624:doi
547:doi
324:).
1328::
1306::
1293::
1280::
1267::
1254::
1241::
1228::
1215::
1202::
1189::
1174::
1159::
1026:^
999:^
978:.
952:^
926:.
918:.
908:20
906:.
902:.
890:^
873:.
833:.
807:^
784:.
774:60
772:.
760:^
734:.
712:,
708:,
685:.
630:.
618:.
581:27
579:.
575:.
541:.
537:.
516:.
416:,
245:.
193:,
1110:.
934:.
914::
884:.
841:.
829::
823:8
792:.
780::
744:.
720:.
683:"
663:.
638:.
626::
597:.
549::
543:2
514:"
510:"
320:(
183:(
27:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
