Spatuloricaria tuira Fichberg, Oyakawa & de Pinna 2014

Spatuloricaria tuirais distinguished from all other congeners except Spatuloricaria nudiventris by its abdominal surface completely naked or rarely with few, very small plates (vs. abdominal region covered with plates) and by the absence of preanal plates (vs. presence of one to four preanal plates). It can be differentiated from S. nudiventris and S. fimbriata by having five transversal dark brown bands on the dorsal region (vs. four transversal dark brown dorsal bands in S. nudiventris and S. fimbriata) and by having dark-brown irregular stripes on the dorsal region of the head and predorsal area (vs. absence of such stripes in S. nudiventris and S. fimbriata). This species has the smallest males recorded among species of Spatuloricaria, with mature individuals ranging from 8.55 to 15.39 cm SL and seems to be the only one in the genus where mature males are smaller than mature females (the opposite is the case in other species of Spatuloricaria). However, additional materials of some of the other species are needed to further verify these observations (Ref. 96500).Description: Dorsal-fin rays i,7; anal-fin rays i,5; pectoral-fin rays i,6; pelvic-fin rays i,5 (Ref. 96500).

Dorsal soft rays (total): 8; Analsoft rays: 6

Occurs on the bottom of medium to large rivers, in association with rocky or sandy substratesin fast-flowing sectors (Ref. 96500).

Spatuloricaria tuira, commonly known as Tuira's whiptail or the marbled Xingu whiptail, is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the basins of the Xingu River and the Tapajós in Brazil. It is typically seen at the bottom of medium to large rivers with fast water flow and substrates composed of rocks or sand. The species reaches 46 cm (18.1 inches) in total length and can weigh up to at least 130 g.

Spatuloricaria tuira was described in 2014 by Ilana Fichberg (of the Federal University of São Paulo), Osvaldo Takeshi Oyakawa (of the University of São Paulo), and Mario de Pinna (also of the University of São Paulo). Its specific name, tuira, honors a Kayapo woman who "became a symbol of the resistance against the construction of hydroelectric dams on the Rio Xingu". It does not refer to the Tuira River, which, although not an area in which Spatuloricaria tuira occurs, is part of the native range of the related species S. fimbriata.