Oxydoras niger (Valenciennes, 1821)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Oxydoras niger, commonly known as the ripsaw catfish or cuiu cuiu, is a species of thorny catfish native to the Amazon, Essequibo, and São Francisco river basins in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela. It is the largest member of the family Doradidae. It grows up to a length of 100 centimetres (3 ft 3 in) and weighs up to 13 kilograms (29 lb).
The species forms a minor part of local commercial fisheries. It has lateral thorns that can injure predators and human handlers. It feeds by sifting through sand and detecting edible items using taste receptors in the roof and floor of its mouth.
Wikipedia contributors, Oxydoras niger; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:28:19.392609+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Oxydoras niger (Valenciennes, 1821)
- Name authority
- (Valenciennes, 1821)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Doradidae
- Genus
- Oxydoras
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderSiluriformes
- familyDoradidae Bleeker, 1858
- genusOxydoras Kner, 1855
- speciesOxydoras niger (Valenciennes, 1821)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Oxydoras. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Oxydoras sifontesi Fernández-Yépez, 1968 | DoradidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Rhinodoras prianomus Cope, 1874 Cope, 1874 | synonym |
| Rhinodoras teffeanus Steindachner, 1875 Steindachner, 1875 | synonym |
| Doras niger Valenciennes, 1821 Valenciennes, 1821 | synonym |
| Oxydoras holdeni Fernández-Yépez, 1968 Fernández-Yépez, 1968 | synonym |
| Corydoras edentatus Spix, 1829 Spix, 1829 | synonym |
| Rhinodoras niger (Valenciennes, 1821) (Valenciennes, 1821) | synonym |
| Doras humboldti Spix & Agassiz, 1829 Spix & Agassiz, 1829 | synonym |
| Pseudodoras niger (Valenciennes, 1821) (Valenciennes, 1821) | synonym |
| Pseudodoras holdeni (Fernández-Yépez, 1968) (Fernández-Yépez, 1968) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1013307 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6TFVC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.