Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Siluriformes
(Catfish) > Callichthyidae
(Callichthyid armored catfishes) > Corydoradinae
Etymology: Corydoras: Greek, kory = helmet + greek, doras = skin (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Freshwater; demersal; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19. Subtropical; 25°C - 28°C (Ref. 30491)
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 7.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26041)
soft rays: 5 - 6. Short and rounded snout (1.9 to 2.1 times in TL); body height 2.5 to 2.9 times in SL; interorbital space 2 to 2.2 times in TL; pectoral spine (3.5 to 4.5 times in SL) with a slightly denticulated internal side; 23-24 dorsal plates; 20-22 ventral plates; 2-5 pre-adipose plates; body color yellow or pink, white belly, blue-grey over head and back; fins yellow or pink and immaculate (Ref. 35381). A brownish-orange patch is usually present on the head, just before the dorsal fin, and is their most distinctive feature when viewed from above in the stream (Ref. 44091).
South America: Colombia and Trinidad to La Plata River basin east of the Andes.
Found mostly in quiet, shallow waters with soft bottoms (Ref. 26041), but also inhabits running waters (Ref. 11225). Benthic (Ref. 58302). Stays in schools of 20 to 30 individuals. Because of its ability to breathe air intestinally, it takes air 1 to 45 times per hour (Ref. 35381). Nocturnal (Ref. 35381). Feeds on worms, crustaceans, insects and plant matter (Ref. 7020). Spawning occurs when the physical-chemical quality of the water changes with the onset of the rainy season (Ref. 35381). Aquarium keeping: in groups of 5 or more individuals; minimum aquarium size 60 cm (Ref. 51539).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
During the spawning process, corys assume the so-called "T" position, with the male assuming the top part of the "T" and the femalae oriented perpendicular to him (Ref. 44091). The male stirs up the female with his barbels on her head and back; the female collects sperm in its mouth; lays down about 20 eggs (yellow in color, 1 mm in size) which she collects with her pelvic fins, then fertilizes them and fixes them to submerged rocks or plants. Such sequence takes place for 2-3 hours, thus resulting in spawning of 100-200 eggs. Several spawnings are possible in the same season. At 22°C, hatching occurs after 5 days, the vitellin being absorbed 3 days later (Ref. 35381).
Burgess, W.E., 1989. An atlas of freshwater and marine catfishes. A preliminary survey of the Siluriformes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey (USA). 784 p. (Ref. 6868)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 96402)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: highly commercial
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01514 (0.00584 - 0.03922), b=3.03 (2.81 - 3.25), based on LWR estimates for this Subfamily-body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.0 ±0.34 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec>100 eggs; multiple spawning per spawning season).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low vulnerability (10 of 100) .