''Aspidoras'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...
es of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Callichthyidae
Callichthyidae is a family of catfishes (order Siluriformes), called armored catfishes due to the two rows of bony plates (or scutes) along the lengths of their bodies. It contains some of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish, such as many ...
from Brazil.
Taxonomy
The type species for this genus is ''
Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin).
''Aspidoras'' is easily distinguished from the other genera of the subfamily
Corydoradinae
Callichthyidae is a family of catfishes (order Siluriformes), called armored catfishes due to the two rows of bony plates (or scutes) along the lengths of their bodies. It contains some of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish, such as many s ...
by the presence of a
supraoccipital
The occipital bone () is a cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the occiput (back and lower part of the skull). It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone overlies the occipital lobes of the cereb ...
fontanel
A fontanelle (or fontanel) (colloquially, soft spot) is an anatomical feature of the infant human skull comprising soft membranous gaps ( sutures) between the cranial bones that make up the calvaria of a fetus or an infant. Fontanelles allow f ...
; this character is an
autapomorphy
In phylogenetics, an autapomorphy is a distinctive feature, known as a derived trait, that is unique to a given taxon. That is, it is found only in one taxon, but not found in any others or outgroup taxa, not even those most closely related to ...
for the genus.
Many of the species of ''Aspidoras'' are similar and often hard to distinguish. Without specimens, it is often very difficult to positively identify a species from photographs alone. They are all small species.
''A. taurus'' is exceptional in that it just surpasses 5 cm in length.
The
monophyly
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
of the genus has been demonstrated.
Species
There are currently 23 recognized species in this genus:
* ''
Aspidoras albater''
Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976 (False macropterus)
* ''
Aspidoras belenos''
M. R. Britto, 1998
* ''
Aspidoras brunneus''
Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
* ''
Aspidoras carvalhoi''
Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
* ''
Aspidoras depinnai''
M. R. Britto, 2000
* ''
Aspidoras eurycephalus''
Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
* ''
Aspidoras fuscoguttatus''
Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
* ''
Aspidoras gabrieli''
Wosiacki, T. G. Pereira & R. E. dos Reis, 2014
* ''
Aspidoras lakoi''
P. Miranda-Ribeiro, 1949
* ''
Aspidoras maculosus''
Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
* ''
Aspidoras marianae''
M. D. V. Leão, M. R. Britto & Wosiacki, 2015
* ''
Aspidoras menezesi''
Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
* ''
Aspidoras mephisto''
Tencatt & Bichuette, 2017
* ''
Aspidoras microgalaeus''
M. R. Britto, 1998
* ''
Aspidoras pauciradiatus''
( S. H. Weitzman & Nijssen, 1970) (Sixray corydoras)
* ''
Aspidoras poecilus''
Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
* ''
Aspidoras psammatides''
M. R. Britto, F. C. T. Lima & A. C. A. Santos, 2005
* ''
Aspidoras raimundi''
( Steindachner, 1907)
* ''
Aspidoras rochai''
R. Ihering, 1907
* ''
Aspidoras spilotus''
Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
* ''
Aspidoras taurus''
F. C. T. Lima & M. R. Britto, 2001
* ''
Aspidoras velites''
M. R. Britto, F. C. T. Lima & C. L. R. Moreira, 2002
* ''
Aspidoras virgulatus''
Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1980
Distribution
''Aspidoras'' species are
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to small and shallow streams draining the
Brazilian Shield.
The species of ''Aspidoras'' are distributed in eastern and central Brazil.
Most species are narrowly endemic, occurring in restricted areas of some major river drainages: ''A. fuscoguttatus'' and ''A. lakoi'' from the
Paraná River system. ''A. albater'', ''A. eurycephalus'' and ''A. gabrieli'' from the
Tocantins River
The Tocantins River ( pt, Rio Tocantins, link=no , , Parkatêjê: ''Pyti'' ɨˈti is a river in Brazil, the central fluvial artery of the country. In the Tupi language, its name means " toucan's beak" (''Tukã'' for "toucan" and ''Ti'' for "beak ...
system. ''A. brunneus'', ''A. marianae'' and ''A. microgalaeus'' from the
Xingu River
The Xingu River ( ; pt, Rio Xingu, ; Mẽbêngôkre: ''Byti'', ) is a river in north Brazil. It is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River and one of the largest clearwater rivers in the Amazon basin, accounting for about 5% of its water.
...
system. ''A. belenos'', ''A. pauciradiatus'' and ''A. velites'' from
Araguaia River system. ''A. rochai'' from rivers around
Fortaleza. ''A. raimundi'' from the
Parnaíba River
The Parnaíba River ( pt, Rio Parnaíba) is a river in Brazil, which forms the border between the states of Maranhão and Piauí. Its main course is long and the Parnaíba River Basin covers .Ramos, T.P.A.; Ramos, R.T.C.; and Ramos, S.A.Q.A. (2 ...
. ''A. carvalhoi'' from rivers around
Guaramiranga
Guaramiranga is one of the smallest towns of the Northeastern state of Ceará in Brazil.
It is located at an altitude of 865 m in the Serra de Baturité hills 110 km from the state capital of Fortaleza. Guaramiranga is known locally for its ...
, Ceará State. ''A. maculosus'' from the
Itapicuru River
The Itapicuru River is a river in Bahia state of eastern Brazil. The Itapicuru rises in the northern part of the state, and flows east to empty into the Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, w ...
. ''A. menezesi'' from the
Jaguaribe River. ''A. spilotus'' from the
Acaráu River. ''A. poecilus'' from the
Xingu River
The Xingu River ( ; pt, Rio Xingu, ; Mẽbêngôkre: ''Byti'', ) is a river in north Brazil. It is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River and one of the largest clearwater rivers in the Amazon basin, accounting for about 5% of its water.
...
,
Araguaia River, and
Tocantins River
The Tocantins River ( pt, Rio Tocantins, link=no , , Parkatêjê: ''Pyti'' ɨˈti is a river in Brazil, the central fluvial artery of the country. In the Tupi language, its name means " toucan's beak" (''Tukã'' for "toucan" and ''Ti'' for "beak ...
systems. ''A. psammatides'' from the
Paraguaçu River
The Paraguaçu River () is a river in Bahia state of eastern Brazil. It runs from the Chapada Diamantina highlands of central Bahia to its mouth at the Baía de Todos os Santos. The Paraguaçu is the largest river entirely within Bahia. Its banks ...
. ''A. virgulatus'' from the coastal rivers in
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attra ...
. ''A. depinnai'' is from the
Ipojuca River
The Ipojuca River is a river of Pernambuco state in eastern Brazil.
See also
*List of rivers of Pernambuco
List of rivers in Pernambuco (Brazilian State).
The list is arranged by drainage basin from north to south, with respective tributaries ...
basin,
Pernambuco State.
''A. taurus'' is known from the upper
Itiquira River and upper
Taquari River
The Taquari River ( pt, Rio Taquari) is a river in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil. It is a left tributary of the Paraguay River. The town of Coxim is situated on the Taquari.
The Taquari River is considered the most de ...
, both tributaries of the
Paraguay River
The Paraguay River (Río Paraguay in Spanish, Rio Paraguai in Portuguese, Ysyry Paraguái in Guarani) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. It flows about from its headwaters i ...
,
Mato Grosso State, Brazil.
In the aquarium
''Aspidoras'' do fairly well in aquaria under similar conditions as for most ''Corydoras'' species. The water conditions that seem best are a
pH of 6.8 to 7.0 and a temperature of about 22 °C to 26 °C. The species that is most likely to be found in an aquarium is the sixray corydoras, ''
Aspidoras pauciradiatus''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q136190
Callichthyidae
Taxa named by Rodolpho von Ihering
Fish of South America
Catfish genera
Freshwater fish genera