Aspidoras
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| Aspidoras rochai Ihering, 1907 |
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A. albater |
Aspidoras is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Callichthyidae.
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[edit] Taxonomy
The type species for this genus is Aspidoras rochai. The name Aspidoras is derived from the Greek aspis (shield) and dora (skin).[1]
Aspidoras is easily distinguished from the other genera of the subfamily Corydoradinae by the presence of a supraoccipital fontanel; this character is an autapomorphy for the genus.[2] 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.
The monophyly of the genus has been demonstrated.[3] Several species of Aspidorasremain to be described.[4]
[edit] Distribution
Aspidoras species are endemic to small and shallow streams draining the Brazilian Shield.[4] The species of Aspidoras are distributed in northeastern and central Brazil, in the states of Ceará, Maranhão, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Espírito Santo.[5] Most species are narrowly endemic, occurring in restricted areas of some major river drainages: A. lakoi and A. fuscoguttatus from the Paraná River system, A. albater and A. eurycephalus from the Tocantins River system, A. brunneus and A. microgalaeus from the Xingu River system, and A. belenos from Araguaia River system. Six species are known from northeastern Brazilian coastal river basins: A. rochai from rivers around Fortaleza, A. raimundi from the Parnaíba River, A. carvalhoi from rivers around Guaramiranga, Ceará State, A. maculosus from the Itapicuru River, A. menezesi from the Jaguaribe River, and A. spilotus from the Acaráu River. A. depinnai, is from the Ipojuca River basin, Pernambuco State.[2] A. taurus is known from the upper Itiquira River and upper Taquari River, both tributaries of the Paraguay River, Mato Grosso State, Brazil.[4]
[edit] Description
They are all small species.[2] A. taurus is exceptional in that it just surpasses 5 cm in length.[4]
[edit] 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.
[edit] References
- ^ "Aspidoras". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- ^ a b c Britto, Marcelo R. (2000). "Aspidoras depinnai (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae): A New Species from Northeastern Brazil". Copeia (4): 1048–1055.
- ^ Britto, Marcelo R. (December 2003). "Phylogeny of the subfamily Corydoradinae Hoedeman, 1952 (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae), with a definition of its genera" (PDF). Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 153: 119–154.
- ^ a b c d Lima, Flávio C. T.; Britto, Marcelo R. (2001). "New Catfish of the Genus Aspidoras (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) from the Upper Rio Paraguai System in Brazil". Copeia (4): 1010–1016.
- ^ Reis, Roberto E. (22 April 1997). Aspidoras. Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- Burgess, Dr. Warren E. (1987). A Complete Introduction to Corydoras and Related Catfishes. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-86622-264-2.
- Maik Arlt / Erik Schiller BSSW Sonderheft "Aspidoras"
