Genus · Catfish

Scorpiodoras

Scorpiodoras is a genus with 2 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Catfish section, recorded from Venezuela and Brazil. Adult sizes run from 4 in to 6.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
2
Adult sizes
4–6.5 in
IUCN assessed
2 of 2
Recorded from
2 countries

About the genus

Scorpiodoras is a genus of thorny catfish in family Doradidae, native to the Orinoco and Amazon drainages of Venezuela and Brazil. The atlas covers 2 species, running 4–6.5 in - a modest size for a doradid. Like other thorny catfish, the body carries rows of bony lateral scutes and the fin spines can be locked erect, a defense that also makes the fish notorious for tangling in nets, and most doradids are nocturnal bottom-dwellers that shelter by day and forage after dark.

This is a genus known mostly to catfish specialists rather than the general aquarium trade, and detailed husbandry accounts are thin. The IUCN picture is incomplete - one species is Not Evaluated and the other Least Concern - which fits a widespread South American catfish genus that has drawn little dedicated conservation survey work rather than one under active threat. For anyone keeping doradids generally, the family's spine-locking habit is worth knowing before ever netting one.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 1 Not Evaluated · 1

The 2 species

Every Scorpiodoras recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources.

(Fernández-Yépez, 1968)

4 in SL · NE

(Kner, 1855)

Heckell's thorny catfish

6.5 in SL · LC

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Scorpiodoras. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/scorpiodoras/

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