The beautifully marked Corydoras orcesi is only very rarely found in the aquariums of enthusiasts. The species has been described from the Rio Tigre system in Ecuador, originally as a subspecies of C. pastazensis. Both species are similarly colored, but no hybrid forms occur, so that they are in all probability independent species, even if some scientists currently only see C. orcesi as a synonym of C. pastazensis. The rare imports come to us from Peru. If C. orcesi and C. pastazensis are seen side by side, there is no possibility of confusion.
Corydoras orcesi is one of the long-snouted species that remain in the genus Corydoras even after the current reclassification of armored catfishes; the same applies to C. pastazensis.
The males remain smaller than the females. They are easy to care for in the aquarium and have proven to be robust. As with all armored catfish, the substrate should consist at least partly of fine, soft sand. Worm food (Tubifex) is very popular, but the fish will happily accept any common fish food, whether live, frozen or in dry form. Both species grow to a maximum size of 6-7 cm.
For our customers: C. orcesi has code 237903 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Corydoras: from ancient Greek, meaning “with helmet and lance”, referring to the outer bony armor and the strong fin spines. orcesi: dedicatory name in honor of Gustavo Orcés-Villagomez. pastazensis: after the Rio Pastaza in the province of Pastaza in Ecuador, where the species was discovered.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
