The Genus Aspidoras

by Allan James


his is a synopsis on the 19 (updated Oct. 2022) described and the 4 undescribed species known from this small popular genera of the Callichthyidae family and the differences between them and the other members of the mailed catfishes.

 

The type specimen of the Aspidoras genera is A. rochai, R. von Ihering 1907 and the latest discription in 2022 was (CW141) Aspidoras aldebaran, Tencatt LFC, Britto MR, Isbrücker IJH, Pavanelli CS., 2022. Below is the list of the 23 known species of Aspidoras and their exact location when discovered. In the last couple of years there has been a few Aspidoras species that have now put into synoynm including some C & CW-numbers.

All Aspidoras belong to Lineage 2 with the exception of A. pauciradiatus which will prove to be a Corydoras and if a revision is carried out will be Gastrodermus (Cope, 1878) and a member of Lineage 5 alongside members of the "elegans group".


Species with Image is a link to an image and some information. Factsheet is a factsheet on the species. Article denotes an article.

 


Aspidoras albater, Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976. Rio Tocantinzinha near São João da Aliança, 14°46'S, 47°30'W, Rio Tocantins system, Goiás, Brazil. Image (C035)

Aspidoras aldebaran, Tencatt LFC, Britto MR, Isbrücker IJH, Pavanelli CS., 2022. Image (CW141)

Aspidoras azaghal, Brazil, tributary of the Igarapé do Pontal, in the remote Amazon region Terra do Meio, intersection of the Xingu and Iri rivers. Image

Aspidoras belenos, Britto 1998. Creek at Primavera do Leste - Paranatinga road, rio das Mortes basin, Estado do Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Aspidoras brunneus, Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976. Serra do Roncador, km 125 of the road Chavantina-Casximba, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Image

Aspidoras carvalhoi, Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976. Açude Canabrava, Guaramiranga, Ceará, Brazil. Image

Aspidoras depinnai, Britto 2000. Creek at Amaraji-Primavera road, rio Ipojuca basin, 8°21'S, 35°26'W, Pernambuco State, Brazil. Image

Aspidoras fuscoguttatus, Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976. Rio Paraná system, Córrego Corguinho, estrada da Três Lagoas, 20°46'S, 51°43'W, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Image (C036) (C118) (C119)

Aspidoras gabrieli, Wosiacki, Pereira & Reis, 2014.

Aspidoras kiriri, Oliveirs, Zanata, Tencatt & Britto, 2017. Brazil, Bahia, Varzedo, riacho Cai-Camarão, rio da Dona basin.

Aspidoras lakoi, Miranda-Ribeiro 1949. Córrego na floresta do Grotão, frazenda da Cachoeira, Muncípio de Passos, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Image

Aspidoras maculosus, Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976. Rio Paiaiá, into headwaters of Rio Itapicurú, ca. 11°S, 40°30'W, Bahia, Brazil. Image Article

Aspidoras menezesi, Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976. Rio Granjeiro at Crato, 7°10'S, 39°25'W, trib. on left bank of Rio Salgado, Ceará, Brazil. Image Factsheet

Aspidoras mephisto, Tencatt, Bichuette 2017. Brazil, known only from the Anésio-Russão cave system (Anésio III and Russão II caves), part of the upper rio Tocantins basin. Image

Aspidoras poecilus, Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976. Creek upstream of village Porori, left bank of upper Rio Xingu, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Image (C037) (C158)

Aspidoras psammatides, Britto, Lima & Santos, 2005. Brazil, Estado da Bahia. Image

Aspidoras raimundi (Steindachner 1907). Rio Parnahyba near Victoria, Maranhao State, Brazil. Image (C125) (CW119)

Aspidoras rochai, R. von Ihering 1907. Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Image

Aspidoras velites, Britto, Lima & Moreira, 2002. Brazil, Est. Mato Grosso, upper Rio Araguaia basin, Rio Tocantins drainage. Image

Aspidoras sp. (CW052) possible hybrid. Image

Aspidoras sp. (CW126) Brazil, Rio Teles Pires. Image

Aspidoras sp. (CW183) Brazil, Bahia. Image

Aspidoras sp. (CW184) Brazil, Bahia. Image

 

As can be gleaned from the above information, the genus Aspidoras are all to be found in Brazil, and that is where some of the identification problems arise, as a vast majority of the species are similarly coloured and marked and if you don't know the right location/river that they come from you are at a disadvantage right away as they will arrive from a central exporter in Brazil with maybe not even the right name attached to them.

 

Anatomical differences between Aspidoras and Corydoras:

Eye: very small in Aspidoras small in Corydoras.
Body shape: smaller size and body shape in Aspidoras compared to the much more bulkier Corydoras.
Head: smaller head shape in Aspidoras compared with Corydoras. Aspidoras posses a duel fontanel bone structure in the skull whereas Corydoras have only the one larger fontanel.

Below are line drawings of the skull formation of both genera and also a photo for clearer classification.

 

Aspidoras duel fontanel

 



Corydoras skull

 

 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF ASPIDORAS

Ia. Snout length 2.5 or more in hi; length pectoral spine less than 4.5 in sl: number of dorso- and ventrolateral body scutes 23120; dorsal fin with a spine and 6 soft rays, last ray split to its base.......................
Aspidoras pauciradiatus(Weitzman & Nijssen, 1970)
b. Snout length 2.1 or less in hI; length pectoral spine'more than 4.5 in sI; number of dorso- and ventrolateral body scutes 25/22 or more: dorsal fin with. a spine and 7 soft rays, last ray split to its base............ 2
2a. Dorsolateral body scutes with a longitudinal solid dark brown band................ Aspidoras brunneus n. sp.
b. Dorsolateral body scutes without longitudinal solid dark brown band.......................................... 3
3a. Body with about 4 distinct oblique bars.................................................... Aspidoras albater n. sp.
b. Body with other colour markings or without colour
markings............................................................................................................................ 4
4a. Body with distinct dark midlateral blotches...........................................................................5
b. Body without distinct dark midlateral blotches........................................................................6
5a. Length bony orbit 5.3 or more in hi; body width 3.8 in sl;
6 pre-adipose scutes................................................................... Aspidoras rochai R. von lhering,1907
b. Length bony orbit 5.0 or less in hI; body width 3.9 or more in sI; 3 to 4 pre-adipose scutes
................................................................................................Aspidoras spilotus n. sp.
6a. Body without colour pattern.................................................... Aspidoras carvalhoi n. sp.
b. Body with a colour pattern................................................................................................. 7
7a. Length bony orbit 6.5 or more in hi; 6 or (usually) more pre-adipose scutes
............................................................................................Aspidoras lakoi, P. de Miranda Ribeiro, 1949
b. Combination of length bony orbit and number of pre adipose scutes not as in 7a........................... 8
8a. Body marbled with brown and with some rows of small roundish dark brown spots (lacking in juveniles)
............................................................................................. Aspidoras fuscoguttatus n. sp.
b. Body marbled with brown, without rows of small roundish dark brown spots.................................. 9
9a. Body with irregular oblique brown marbling; length dorsal spine 5.2 to 5.4 in sI....Aspidoras poecilus n. sp.
b. Body with irregular oblique dorsal spine 6.3 to 8.9 in sI.................. Aspidoras sp. aff. poecilus
c. Body with more or less roundish spots; length dorsal
spine more than 5.8 in sl........................................................................................................ 10
l0a. Dorsal fin usually with a conspicuous, triangular dark blotch..........Aspidoras raimundi (Steindachner, 1907)
b. Dorsal fin without a conspicuous, triangular dark blotch..............................................................11
lla. Length pectoral spine more than 8.0 in sI; interorbital width less than 2.0 in hI; length dorsal spine more than
9.5 in sI................................................................................... Aspidoras eurycephalus n. sp.
b. Length pectoral spine less than 8.0 in sl; interorbital width more than 2,0 in hI; length dorsal spine less than
9.5 in sl................................................................................................................................ 12
l2a. Length dorsal spine more than 7.3 in sl; length pectoral spine more than 5.7 in sI; body depth 3.8 to 4.0 in sI; body width 4.2 to 4.4 in sI; 3 to 4 pre-adipose scutes.....Aspidoras maculosus n. sp.
b. Length dorsal spine less than 7.3 in sl; length pectoral spine less than 5.7 in sI; body depth 3.3 to 3.8 in sI; body width 3.8 to 4.2 in sl; 5 to 6 pre-adipose scutes.......... Aspidoras menezesi n. sp.

References:

Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes

Nijssen & Isbrücker; 1976, The South American Plated Catfish Genus Aspidoras, R. von Ihering,1907.
Nijssen & Isbrücker; 1976, Key to the Species of Aspidoras.
Sands, David; Catfishes of The World Vol.1 Callichthyidae.
www.corydorasworld.com

 
 
 

 

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