Candirú

From Freepedia

Candirú

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Osteichthyes
Order:	Siluriformes
Family:	Trichomycteridae
Genus:	Vandellia Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1846

Species

V. balzanii
V. beccarii
V. cirrhosa
V. plazaii
V. sanguinea
Ref: FishBase 2002-08-10

The candirú or canero (Vandellia cirrhosa) is a freshwater fish in the group commonly called the catfishes. It is found in the Amazon River and has a reputation among the natives as the most feared fish in its waters, even over the piranha. The species grows only to a size of an inch in length and is eel shaped and translucent, making it almost impossible to see in the water. The candiru is a parasite. It swims into the gill cavities of other fishes, erects a spine to hold itself in place, and feeds on the blood in the gills, earning it a nickname as the "vampire fish of Brazil".

It is feared by the natives because it is attracted to urine or blood, and if the bather is nude it will swim into an orifice (the anus or vagina, or even in the case of smaller specimens the penis-- and perhaps deep into the urethra). It then erects its spine and begins to feed on the blood and body tissue just as it would from the gills of a fish. The candiru is then almost impossible to remove except through an operation.

A traditional option is the use of two plants, the Xagua plant (Genipa americana) and the Buitach apple which are inserted (or their extract in the case of tight spaces) into the affected area. These two plants together will kill and then dissolve the fish. More often, pain causes shock and death in the victim before it can be removed.

The author William Burroughs encountered stories about the candiru during his travels in South America, and referenced the creature in his book Naked Lunch. The fish is also mentioned in the 1997 movie Anaconda. It is also featured in the movie "Rundown" starring actors Sean William Scott and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Novelist Julian Barnes mentions the fish in his book "A history of the world in 10 1/2 chapters.

Resources

Herman, John B, "Candiru: Urinophilic catfish—Its gift to urology", Urology 1(3):265-267 (1973).
Gudger, EW, "Bookshelf browsing on the Alleged Penetration of the Human Urethra by an Amazonian Catfish Called Candiru", Americal Journal of Surgery 8(1): 170-188, 443-457 (1930).
Vinton, KW, Stickler, WH, "The Carnero, a fish parasite of man and possibly animals", Americal Journal of Surgery 54:511- (1941).