Scorpiodoras heckelii (Kner, 1855)
photo by Hippocampus-Bildarchiv

Family:  Doradidae (Thorny catfishes), subfamily: Astrodoradinae
Max. size:  16.1 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater
Distribution:  South America: Negro, Orinoco and upper Amazon River basins.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 2-2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6-7; Vertebrae: 34-34. Scorpiodoras heckelii is diagnosed from its two congeners S. calderonensis and S. liophysus by having a relatively large eye, diameter 91-129% of interorbital width (vs. relatively small eye, diameter 58-93% of interorbital width). It further differs from these congeners by the having a simple, egg-shaped, secondary bladder without terminal diverticulum (vs. secondary bladder absent in S. liophysus and with terminal diverticulum in S. calderonensis) and from S. liophysus by presenting a relatively shallow scute depth (33-51% of body depth near anal-fin origin, vs. 61-72%) (Ref. 86601). Description: anal fin v-vi,8-10 (Ref. 86601).
Biology: 
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 06 August 2020 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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