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Adriano Gambarini (1)

The Aspidoras genera differ from Corydoras by their different behaviour such as their swimming habits. The eyes are smaller, body smaller and a smaller head shape in Aspidoras compared with Corydoras. Aspidoras posses a duel fontanel bone structure in the skull whereas Corydoras have only the one larger fontanel. Many species of Aspidoras are difficult to tell apart unless there is catchment information available. Lineage: All Aspidoras belong to Lineage 2 with the exception of A. pauciradiatus which will prove to be a Corydoras and if a revision is carried out will be Gastrodermus (Cope, 1878) and a member of Lineage 5 alongside members of the "elegans group". Aquarium Care: With all of this genus they are best kept in groups of six or more and are best housed with small fishes that are not aggressive. Provide a planted area in the tank for cover and include a soft substrate such as sand or small rounded gravel. Diet: Flake, tablet foods, small live and frozen foods. Etymology: The epithet azaghal refers to a fictional character within the fantastic universe created by the South African/British writer, poet, philologist, and academic, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973). Azaghâl was the king of the Broad-beam Dwarves, one of the seven dwarf clans, and Lord of the dwarven realm of Belegost in the Blue Mountains during Middle Earth's First Age. The name comes from a double allusion, first about the region where the species was found, Terra do Meio, freely translated as Middle Earth in English, name of the fictional world of Tolkien's legendarium, and second by the fact that the new species occurs in a mountainous region and presents a relatively small size, which are both typical features of the fictional dwarves.

Tolkien’s Cory

None

Callichthyidae

South America: Lower Xingu River basin (Pará, Brazil). Type locality: Brazil, tributary of the Igarapé do Pontal, in the remote Amazon region Terra do Meio, intersection of the Xingu and Iri rivers.

Male: 3.5cm (1½ins) Female: 4.0cm 1¾ins)

24-27°C (75-81°F)

6.0-7.0.

Alexandrou, Markos & Taylor, Martin. (2011). Evolution, ecology and taxonomy of the Corydoradinae revisited.
Ian A. M. Fuller & Hans-Georg Evers (2011). Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish Supplement 1. Ian Fuller Enterprises.
Tencatt, Muriel-Cunha, Zuanon, Ferreira & Britto, 2020. A journey through the Amazon Middle Earth reveals Aspidoras azaghal (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae), a new species of armoured catfish from the rio Xingu basin, Brazil.
www.corydorasworld.com