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Osteogaster hephaestus is described from the upper Rio Machado, Rio Madeira basin, Rondônia State, Brazil. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by the absence of contact between the posterior process of the parietosupra occipital and the nuchal plate; a ventral laminar expansion of the infraorbital 1 conspicuously developed; and the posterior margin of the pectoral-fin spine with serrations along almost of its entire length, only lacking in the distal portion. Additionally, Osteogaster hephaestus possesses dorsal and pectoral spines short, and exhibits an unusual colour pattern in life (Ohara et al 2016). Habitat: The species can be captured in many types of environment, from lakes and streams to large rivers. Often found in shallow depths or in marginal regions, usually associated with sandy or muddy bottoms (Tencatt & Britto, 2016). Colouration: Pectoral and pelvic fins hyaline. Anal fin hyaline or red. Black on remaining parts of body, except on ventral portions of head and abdomen. Sexual Dimorphism: Male specimens of O. hephaestus can exhibit a lanceolate genital papilla, feature also common to all Corydoradinae (see Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1980; Britto, 2003). In addition, males present small, sharp odontodes on dorsal surface of pectoral spine just adjacent to fin membrane. This feature is observed in some Scleromystax Günther, 1864 species (Britto et al. in press). Lineage: Placed in Lineage 7 alongside other members of the so called "aeneus group" with the designated type species: C. eques. A revision in the future would constitute the resurrection of the genus name Osteogaster Cope, 1871. As of the latest update Corydoras hephaestus has now been placed in Lineage 7 and has the new genus name of Osteogaster (Dias et al. 2024). Aquarium Care: A tank setup would entail a soft substrate such as sand or a small gravel and a nice plant covering around the back and sides of the aquarium. If housed in a community tank a mixture of small South American characins or the smaller varieties of Asian Rasboras would suffice, as larger fishes would intimidate these shy Cory's, and would stop them eating and would be therefore detrimental to their overall health. Diet: A good quality flake food and tablet food for adults with sparodic feedings of frozen or live food will keep your Osteogaster in good health. Etymology: The specific epithet hephaestus is from the Greek, Hçaiostoç (or Hëphaistos), the Greek god of fire, metalworking, forges, and blacksmiths. Alluding to the red colour of the body and fins. A noun in apposition. Remarks: Still found on some online sources as Corydoras hephaestus.

Fireball Cory

None

Callichthyidae

South America: Brazil, Upper Rio Machado, Rio Madeira basin. Type Locality: Tributary of Igarapé Piracolina, near road BR-364, upper Rio Machado, Rio Madeira basin, Vilhena, Rondônia State, Brazil, 12°48'56''S, 60°06'37''W, elevation 585 meters.

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

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6.0-7.5.

Alexandrou, Markos & Taylor, Martin. (2011). Evolution, ecology and taxonomy of the Corydoradinae revisited.
Angelica C Dias, Luiz F C Tencatt, Fabio F Roxo, Gabriel de Souza da Costa Silva, Sérgio A Santos, Marcelo R Britto, Martin I Taylor, Claudio Oliveira, Phylogenomic analyses in the complex Neotropical subfamily Corydoradinae (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) with a new classification based on morphological and molecular data, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2024;, zlae053.
Ohara, Willian & Tencatt, Luiz & Britto, Marcelo. (2016). Wrapped in flames: Corydoras hephaestus, a new remarkably colored species from the Rio Madeira basin (Teleostei: Callichthyidae). Zootaxa.
www.corydorasworld.com