Corydoras similis Heironimus,
1991 |
his month of December 2008 is another landmark
here at ScotCat as we reach the milestone of the 150th factsheet
over an 11 year period of your favoutite catfish website. So we
have invited along Catfish Study Group secretary, Adrian Taylor,
who also hosts his own website on his first love, the hillstream
catfishes of Asia. Adrian has also been prolific in breeding Corydoras
of many types, so I will hand you over to him to promote another
special member of this family.
These medium sized Corydoras catfish regularly
appear in our stores every other year or so, and it is often the
case with them that they only show their true colours after settling
in to our tanks. Although their finage posses little in the way
of colour or markings, the body colour can truly said to be breathtaking
when they are in spawning condition. During this time the spots
that adorn the first two thirds of the body get more pronounced
and the area’s around the cheeks and gills take on a golden
hue, the blue blotch that is present from just posterior of the
dorsal fin to the caudal peduncle becomes even darker and the
body scutes in this area take on a bright turquoise luster.
The sexes are easy to determine as the
females are generally larger than the males, have larger ventral
fins and the pectoral fins are more deeply convexed posteriorly.
Corydoras similis has been spawned in the aquarium and
tend to comply to the usual techniques in breeding most of the
Corydoradinae group of catfishes.
The image below shows an albino variety
of Corydoras similis.
These cory-cats have proved not to be problematic
in the way they are looked after, which makes them a must have
species for any small to medium sized community tank. A substrate
of sand or small rounded gravel interspersed with clumps of plants;
like Amazon sword and containing areas of rock and/or bogwood
would make a ideal bio type. Like wise feeding Corydoras similis
is not a problem as they will readily consume commercial foods
such as flake, granular and tablet foods and frozen foods such
as bloodworms and daphnia, like all fish they benefit from regular
feedings of live foods such as Daphnia, Cyclops, Grindal worms
and bloodworms.
Dorsal fin 8 rays and a strong spine, Adipose
fin small. Pectoral fins 5 rays and a strong spine. Ventral fins
5 rays. Anal fin 5 rays. Caudal fin 14 rays. Head large, snout rounded,
eyes large. Barbels 3 pairs; one pair maxillary barbels that reach
as far back as the eye, two pairs of madibulary barbels outer mandibulary
barbel not quite reaching the eye, with the inner madibulary barbel
being somewhat smaller.
Body base colour cream, head profusely covered
in irregular small brown spots, these spots continue along the body
from the dorsal fin in even rows above the lateral line diminishing
in size the nearer they get to the caudal peduncle. The area of
the body beneath the lateral line is coloured a creamy tan. There
is a blue coloured blotch which begins posteriorly to the dorsal
fin base, terminating at the caudal peduncle; this blue blotch darkens
in colour the closer to the caudal peduncle it becomes. The ventral
surface is white to cream in colour. The fins being hyaline.
This is akin to most of this genus, very peaceful,
and would be best housed with small to medium tankmates such as
Tetras, Rasboras and Danios or in a
species tank for breeding purposes.
Corydoras similis has been spawned
in the aquarium and tend to comply to the usual techniques in breeding
most of the Corydoradinae group of catfishes, which you can find
information on, in the
breeding articles section of the website.
| Sexual
Differences |
The sexes are easy
to determine as the females are generally larger than the
males, have larger ventral fins and the pectoral fins are
more deeply convexed posteriorly.
|
| Feeding |
Feeding Corydoras
similis is not a problem as they will readily consume commercial
foods such as flake, granular and tablet foods and frozen foods
such as bloodworms and daphnia, like all fish they benefit from
regular feedings of live foods such as Daphnia, Cyclops, Grindal
worms and bloodworms.
| Glossary
of Terms |
Ventral fins:
The paired fins, between the pectorals
and the anal fins.
Dorsal fin:
The primary rayed fin(s) on top of
the body.
Caudal Peduncle: The area between the dorsal
fin and the tail.
Lateral Line: A sensory line, along the
sides of the body.
Hyaline: Transparent or clear without pigment.
Maxillary barbels: Pertaining to the upper
jaw. (maxillary barbels)
|
| Etymology |
Corydoras:Cory
= helmeted; doras
= leathery skin,(helmeted Doras) cuirass.
similis: Named for its similarity
to Corydoras
ourastigma. |
©
Adrian
Taylor
|
Brazil; Madeira
river system and the district of Rondonia.
