Corydoras seussi
Dinkelmeyer, 1996 |
The last month of 2006 brings another factsheet
from our resident "guru" Chris Ralph and a look at a relatively
new Cory which has only been in the hobby for the last 10 years,
and is coincidental in that ScotCat will be celebrating 10 years
next month also, so I will hand you over to Chris to guide you along.
orydoras seussi has been available to the hobbyist for
a few years now, and shares a similar colour pattern with Corydoras
gossei, which has a rounded snout. Before being described scientifically
as Corydoras seussi this magnificent catfish was referred
to as C27.
Corydoras seussi belongs to the family Callichthyidae from
Brazil; namely the Rio Poranga a tributary of the upper Rio Negro
and the Mamore River basin.
Corydoras seussi
prefer to be kept in water which has a pH in the range of 6.5-7.2
(although it has been known for this species to tolerate a much
wider range of pH 6.0-8.0), and hardness in the range of 2.0-25.0
dGH. This catfish is ideally suited to temperatures in the range
of 22-26ºC.
I would suggest a minimum size of 24” x 15” X 12”
for a shoal of these fascinating catfish. The preferred substrate
for keeping these catfish should be good quality aquarium sand
such as BD Aquarium Sand, or very smooth rounded gravel in order
to prevent their barbels from being damaged. The aquarium should
provide some shelter in the form of rocks, bogwood and aquatic
plants. As with all other species of fish, water quality and general
husbandry is very important, and I would recommend that the aquarist
undertake a minimum of 25% water change on a fortnightly basis.
Typical triangular Corydoras body shape with a pointed snout.
The base colour of the body is tan overlapped by a much darker coloured
pigment which is slate grey/blue. The dorsolateral scutes are much
darker exhibiting the slate grey/blue colour than the ventrolateral
scutes which are tan coloured. The head region is overlaid with
an orange to almost gold colour, which in natural sunlight is truly
magnificent. The head area around the barbels and eyes is also overlaid
with light coloured spots. The first rays of the dorsal, pectoral
and ventral fins are orange in colour interspersed with some slate
grey/blue colouration. The soft rays of the pectoral and ventral
fins are orange in colour, whilst the remaining fins (dorsal, anal,
adipose and caudal) are light (white) coloured with slate grey to
black coloured almost stripy markings. The caudal fin has 5-6 distinct
vertical black bands/stripes. In bright sunlight there is a green
sheen which can be seen over the top half of the body of this catfish.
These catfish are very peaceful towards their own kind and indeed
other species of Corydoras. These catfish are ideally suited
to being kept in a community aquarium environment with other non-aggressive
species of fish such as tetras and dwarf cichlids. Whilst Corydoras
seussi are not cheap to purchase, wherever possible I would
recommend that you purchase a minimum of six specimens, as they
are naturally found in the wild in large shoals.
Whilst this is a species of Corydoras that I am fortunate
to have kept in recent years I was unable to persuade the fish to
breed. Whilst there are documented records for spawning the similar
coloured Corydoras gossei, I am not personally aware of
any successful accounts for spawning Corydoras seussi to
date. I would however, envisage that when breeding these catfish
would adopt the typical Corydoras “T” clinch
when mating, which involves the female transferring sperm from the
male to her eggs held in her ventral fins prior to them being laid
carefully on a chosen surface. It is documented and observed that
the female takes the sperm from the male into her mouth which is
then passed out of her vent and on to the eggs which she holds in
small numbers between her ventral fins.
| Sexual
differences |
The males tend to be slightly smaller and more
slender than the females. The dorsal and pectoral fins of
the males tend to be more pointed than those of the females.
Sexing of these catfish is easier when being viewed from above.
|
| Feeding |
As with all the other Corydoras that I have had the pleasure
to keep over the years, Corydoras seussi readily accepts
a mixed and varied diet. I personally feed all of my Corydoras
on sinking pellets, good quality flake foods, granular foods,
cultured whiteworm and frozen foods such as bloodworm to name but
a few.
| Glossary
of Terms |
Dorsolateral refers to the area above the lateral
line and below the dorsal fin. Ventrolateral refers to the
area below the lateral line and above the ventral fins.
|
| Etymology |
Cory = helmet, Doras
= skin. This catfish was specifically named after (dedicated
to) Mr.Werner Seuss who is a well known German aquarist and
author.
|
| References |
Chris Ralph; 19/04/05 First
published in Tropical Fish magazine June 2005.
|
| Photo
Credits |
© Author |
|
|
| Synonyms:
|
| None |
| Common
Name: |
| Seuss’ Corydoras, C 027 |
| Family: |
| Callichthyidaem |
| Subfamily: |
| Corydoradinae |
| Distribution: |
South
America:
Brazil; Mamoré River basin |
| Size: |
| 70mm s.l.- 7cm,- 2¾ins.(standard length
– this is the measurement of the fish from the tip of
the snout to the base of the caudal peduncle). |
| Temp: |
| 22-26°C
(71-79°F) |
| pH.: |
| 6.5 -7.2. |
| Donation: |
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