his
Corydoras has been around for many years
and is still very popular, and when it pops up in
auctions they can still fetch a reasonable price.
The main talking point about sterbai is of
course the pectoral fins, being the colour of orange,
one of a handful of Cory's with this trait, the ventral
fins are also this colour. In well marked specimens
you can get an orange colouration in the abdomen area.
Corydoras
sterbai
Corydoras
sterbai is sometimes confused with Corydoras
haraldshultzi the difference
being that C.sterbai has for simplistic reasons
a dark basic body colour with white spots on the head
and snout area, while C. haraldshultzi in the
bottom image has it in reverse, a light body with
dark spots/reticulations. Another Corydoras
confused with sterbai is C.
araguaiensis but it
has no orange colouration to the fins as you can see
in the second image below.
Corydoras
haraldschultzi
- head view
Corydoras
araguaiaensis
To
make matters even more complicated there is an albino
versionbred in Singapore which first
made its appearance in 1998. You can even see an orange
taint in the pectoral and ventral fins in this variety.
Only time will tell if this will become as popular
as the Corydoras aeneus 'albino' with aquarists.
I have a feeling that it won't go down too well with
some Corydoras enthusiasts! and of time of
writing (May 2002) it is still quite an expensive
purchase, but I quite like it.
Corydoras
sterbai -
albino
The
common version which we all know and love occurs in
the Upper Rio Guapore which straddles the border between
Brazil and Bolivia. Named In honour of Dr Günther
Sterba who in my humble opinion wrote some of the
best books on the hobby in the late 60's and early
70's, and which still hold up well to this day.
Corydoras
sterbaiis much likeany
other speciesof the genus Corydoras,
easy to keep but will do better in a group as they
are sociable animals and do like their own company.
They will also appreciate a bit of water movement
in the aquarium.
Update:
In 2003 in Bolivia there was a collection made by
Joachim Knaack in the Río Itenez which was
very similar to our Factsheet of the Month subject.
You can access the information and image here.
Remarks:
Corydoras
sterbai
is
placed in Lineage 9, the "short-snouted"
species with the designated type species: C.
punctatus. A revision in the future would constitute
the resurrection of the genus name Hoplosopma
(Agassiz, 1846).
Common
Name
Sterba's
Catfish
Synonyms
None
Family
Callichthyidae
Subfamily
Corydoradinae
Distribution
South America:
Brazil,
Upper Rio Guaporé, near Pontes e Lacerda.
Size
Male: 6.0cm (2¼ins)
Female: 6.5cm (2½ins)
Temp
23-28°C (73-83°F)
p.H.
6.0-7.2.
Characteristics
Dorsal 1/7; Anal 1/5; Head
is short and compact. Stubby appearance.
Colouration
Body colour is dark grey
with 7 to 8 bands of spots leading from the front
of dorsal down to the caudal peduncle. White spots
to head area from snout to leading ray of dorsal.
Pectoral and ventral fin spines are orange with
rest of fins clear with black banding.
Aquarium
Care & Compatibility
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.
Reproduction
Not too difficult,
will breed as per any Corydoras species giving
a good diet and water conditions, and water changes
of a lower temperature to induce spawning. Two males
to one female or one pair. Setup could be a 18"x12"x12"
tank with sand or bare bottom with Java moss, Java
fern and a sponge filter, adding if you like a power
filter for extra aeration and circulation of the water
all leading to a hopefully successful spawning.
Diet
Adults will take a variety
of foods, good quality flake food, tablets, frozen
bloodworm and the occasional feeding of whiteworm.
Start of the fry, after using up their yolksac, with
microworm, brineshrimp and fry flake.
Etymology
Corydoras:
Cory=helmeted;doras=leathery
skin,(helmeted Doras) cuirass. sterbai:
In honour of Dr Günther Sterba.
References
Alexandrou,
Markos & Taylor, Martin (2011). Evolution,
ecology and taxonomy of the Corydoradinae revisited. Fuller, I.A.M. &
Evers, H-G:
2005 Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish 384 p.
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