Corydoras diphyes
Axenrot & Kullander, 2003
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Regular contributor Chris Ralph returns again this month to spotlight
a comparatively new Corydoras species which was only
named 5 years ago in 2003, Corydoras dyphyes. I now hand
you over to Chris.
orydoras diphyes
belongs to the family Callichthyidae or Armoured Catfishes from
South America; namely Paraguay, and is documented as being restricted
to the tributaries of the Río Monday, Río Acaray,
the right bank tributaries of the Río Paraná and
a small stream at Estancia María Balén. Corydoras
diphyes is also documented as being found in Brazil.
It is a recently described species of Corydoras (2003)
and not yet commonly available to the hobbyist. When this catfish
is available expect to pay around £5-£8 (UK) per
fish. In its natural habitat Corydoras diphyes usually
occurs in areas which have sandy substrates with bank vegetation
entering the water. The water in which they are found varies
from dark (stained with tannins) to clear or slightly turbid.
Corydoras diphyes
prefer to be kept in water which has a pH in the range of 6.0-7.2.
This catfish is ideally suited to temperatures in the range
of 23-26ºC or 73-79°F.
I would suggest a minimum tank size of 24” x 15”
X 12” for a small shoal of these fascinating little catfish.
I would suggest good quality aquarium sand such as BD Aquarium
Sand, or very smooth rounded gravel as the preferred substrate
when keeping these catfish. The aquarium should provide some
shelter in the form of rocks or bogwood along with some aquatic
plants. As with all other species of fish, water quality and
general husbandry is very important, and I would recommend that
a minimum of 25% water is changed on a weekly to fortnightly
basis.
This particular catfish is documented as being mimicked by Otocinclus
mimulus.
The body shape of Corydoras diphyes
is described as being typical triangular Corydoras shaped.
The body is described as having relatively low scute numbers with
23-24 in the dorsal row, 20-21 in the ventral row, and 2-4 pre-adipose
scutes. The dorsal head profile is described as being clearly convex.
The caudal fin is described as being truncate.
The base colour of the body and head is light
tan with a number of darker brown coloured spots or blotches on
the head and along the length of the body. There are distinct dark
stripes in both the dorsal and caudal fins.
Wherever possible I would recommend that
the aquarist keep these catfish in a community aquarium in small
groups of six or more, but as the absolute minimum I would suggest
three specimens assuming that they are available in these numbers.
In their natural habitat Corydoras diphyes would be found
in relatively large shoals.
As far as I am aware there are no documented
records of Corydoras diphyes having been spawned in aquaria
to date (April 2008).
(Editors note: This Corydoras is now
being bred in the U.K. (2009) by members of the Catfish
Study Group)
| Sexual
differences |
The males tend to be more
slender than the females. Unlike the majority of other members
of the family Callichthyidae Corydoras diphyes is
documented as not having elongated dorsal and pectoral fins
in either sex.
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| Feeding |
As with all the other catfish that I have
had the pleasure to keep over the years, Corydoras diphyes readily
accepts a mixed and varied diet which includes granular foods, frozen
bloodworm and good quality flake to name but a few.
| Glossary
of Terms |
Scute
is defined as a bony plate.
Truncate is defined as cut off or blunt.
Adipose is defined as a second dorsal fin
which in the case of Corydoras consists of fatty
tissue with a single spine supporting a thin membrane.
Dorsal is defined as being top or above.
Ventral is defined as bottom, below or underneath.
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| Etymology |
Cory
= helmet, Doras = skin.
Diphyes is from the Greek word meaning
double nature which refers to the unique colour patterns
observed in this species – spotted and striped.
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Images by Author |
