Original description as Crenicichla empheres:
- Lucena, C. A. S.. 2007. "Two new species of the genus Crenicichla Heckel, 1840 from the upper rio Uruguay drainage (Perciformes: Cichlidae)". Neotropical Ichthyology. v. 5(n. 4), pp. 449-456. DOI: 10.1590/S1679-62252007000400004 (crc01516) (abstract)
Conservation: Crenicichla empheres is not evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species.