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hese small 'Corydoras type' fish from the Callichthyidae family are very similar to Corydoras but are smaller and slimmer with smaller eyes and have one very important distinct difference from the latter, of having a dual fontanel (opening in the head bone), whereas the Corydoras genus has a single fontanel. To find out more about these differences you can go to The Genus Aspidoras in the Ichthyology section of the ScotCat articles page.

Aspidoras menezesi

Identifying Aspidoras can be problematic as most of them (apart from Aspidoras pauciradiatus which is now a Corydoras) have body marking of spots and blotches on a tan background and unless you know the precise area in Brazil where they were collected it can be very difficult. I have over the past few years taken drawings of species I have kept, and also seen on the show bench, to differentiate between each species, and will hopefully some day, to be able to identify them from these sketches.

Aspidoras menezesi

The picture depicted above shows what is believed to be A. menezesi although the colouration is more golden with less spots than the normal form. The fry of this form have black in the leading rays of the dorsal fin and have carried this trait into the juvenile stage.

Aspidoras menezesi needs a little more care to their husbandry than most Corydoras species, in that the water parameters should stringently be adhered to, in that regular water changes of the same chemistry to keep them in good condition. These fish don't seem to do well in the hurly-burly of a community tank and would be better placed in a species tank with strong filtration and well planted, as they do tend to hide and are nervous if there is no protection from the open spaces. They also like the temperatures to be on the lower side of tropical i.e. below 75°f.

If purchasing this nice little catfish do buy at least four, (better six), as they do better in their own company and tend not to sulk with their own kind and of course you could have a better chance of breeding them.

Lineage: 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".

Remarks: As of 2018 A. spilotus is now believed to be a synoynm of A. menezesi.

Menezes's Aspidoras

Aspidoras spilotus

Corydoradinae

South America: Brazil, Ceará, Rio Granjeiro at Crato, 07°10’S, 39°25’W, tributary on left bank of Rio Salgado.

Male: 4.5cm (1¾ins) Female: 5.0cm (2ins)

22-24°c (71-75°f.)

Dorsal 1/7; Anal ii,5; Pectorals; 1/9; Ventrals 1/5. 26 Dorsolateral body scutes. 23 Ventrolateral body scutes. 6 pre-adipose scutes.

Inoffensive catfish which will suffer at the hands of aggressive tank mates. Will do well in a species tank or a community tank with smaller inmates such as tetras and rasboras. Best to keep in a shoal of at least four.

Has been bred. Similar to Corydoras in this respect but they do tend to eat their eggs, so removing parents or eggs after spawning is a good idea. They lay their eggs in Java moss or on the aquarium glass and you can raise the young as per the Corydoras genus.

Prefers live food such as newly hatched brine shrimp but will also take frozen food and good quality flake food, plus tablet food.

Anterior: The head end.
Branchial: Pertaining to the gills.
Caudal fin: The tail.
Caudal peduncle: The narrow part of a fish's body to which the caudal or tail fin is attached.
Dorsal fin: The primary rayed fin(s) on top of the body.
Genital papilla: A small, fleshy tube behind the anus in some fishes, from which the sperm or eggs are released; the sex of a fish often can be determined by the shape of its papilla.
Maxillary: Pertaining to the upper jaw. (maxillary barbels).
Odontodes: Hair - like stuctures on the body.
Pectoral fins: The paired fins just behind the head.
Supraoccipital: Unpaired bone at the back of the skull, usually with a crest.

Aspidoras: Aspidos = shield; doras = cuirass.
menezesi: Named in honour of its collector, R.S. de Menezes.

Burgess, W.E., 1989 An Atlas of Freshwater and Marine catfishes: a preliminary survey of the Siluriformes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey.
Nijssen & Isbrücker; 1976, Key to the Species of Aspidoras.
Sands, David;  Catfishes of the World Vol.1,1983.

Photo Credits

Top:        © Ingo Seidel @     
Bottom:   © Helen Burns