From Peru we received samples of some top rarities among the armored catfish. All belong to the group of long snouts, which in contrast to the round snouts do not live in swarms, but have to be laboriously collected individually.
The species, called by the exporter as Corydoras sp. as “Melita”, belongs to the immediate circle of forms of Corydoras fowleri, from which it differs by its slightly more elongated body and the more massive coloured flank wedge.
Corydoras sp. “Karina” is also a species of the Corydoras-fowleri complex. The species is characterized by the comparatively wide light zone of the back of the black wedge. The latter reminds of Corydoras semiaquilus, which is also extremely closely related to C. fowleri.
Corydoras sp. “Souza” clearly deviates from the two species mentioned so far. We have already received fishes under this name earlier, these were always animals of the kind, which are known in the hobby at present as Corydoras sp. “C124”. This time, however, an animal came as “Souza”, which looks very similar to the Brazilian C. treitlii and would have to be attributed purely “technically” to Corydoras semiaquilus; however, it is more likely that it is a scientifically undescribed species.
So if the three species described so far belonged to the close relationship of C. fowleri/C. semiaquilus, the fourth species, called Corydoras sp. “Panduro”, could at first sight be considered to be C. ellisae from Paraguay or C. septentrionalis from Venezuela. However, both species have a pattern of stripes in the tail-fin, that C. sp. “Panduro” is missing. C. sp. “Panduro” could be a species which imitates the round snouted C. weitzmani which also comes from Peru.
We do not yet know exactly whether it will be possible to import these four interesting species in larger quantities. Anyway, we will try.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
