| Britski's catfish | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Callichthyidae |
| Genus: | Brochis[1][2][3] |
| Species: | C. britskii |
| Binomial name | |
| Brochis britskii (Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1983) |
|
Britski's catfish (Brochis britskii) is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Corydoradinae sub-family of the Callichthyidae family. It originates in inland waters in South America, and is found in the upper Paraguay River basin in Brazil. It was originally described by Nijssen & Isbrücker in 1983.
Some believe that this species should be classified as Corydoras britskii and Brochis should be synonymized with Corydoras.[4]
The fish has a high number of dorsal fin rays (15-18) when compared with Corydoras species. It has a shorter snout than C. splendens and C. multiradiatus, a larger eye, grows to a larger size, and has its head covered ventrally by a large shield extending beyond the tip of the mental barbels. It will grow in length up to 8.8 centimeters (3.5 inches).
It lives in a tropical climate in water with a temperature range of 20 - 24 °C (68 - 75 °F). It feeds on worms, benthic crustaceans, insects, and plant matter. It lays eggs in dense vegetation and adults do not guard the eggs.