| Aspidoras | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Callichthyidae |
| Subfamily: | Corydoradinae |
| Tribe: | Aspidoradini |
| Genus: | Aspidoras Ihering, 1907 |
| Type species | |
| Aspidoras rochai Ihering, 1907 |
|
| Species | |
|
A. albater |
|
Aspidoras is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Callichthyidae.
Contents |
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]
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]
They are all small species.[2] A. taurus is exceptional in that it just surpasses 5 cm in length.[4]
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.