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ur first foray into the year 2003 brings me back to the Callichthyidae family again and a factsheet request for a relatively new Cory, in scientific terms anyway, of Adolfo's Cory, Hoplisoma adolfoi which was named after the Brazilian exporter Adolfo Schwartz.

Hoplisoma adolfoi

This Corydoras was one of the first of the fleshy coloured, black banded/striped species with the gold markings to be collected in the tributaries of the upper Rio Negro in Brazil, alongside such species as Hoplisoma burgessi, Hoplisoma davidsandsi and Brochis imitator which was collected at the same time and is basically the long nosed variety of our factsheet of the month subject and also the very similar Hoplisoma duplicareum which has a broader black band on the body and also a different structure to the pectoral fin spines. There has also been collections made over the border in Venezuela.

It was first discovered by Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod in the first tributary north of the village of São Gabriel da Cachoeira known locally as the 'Miua' and is the type locality in the original account of the collecting of Hoplisoma adolfoi. It was first imported into the United States in the same year of its discovery in 1982 and then into Europe the following year.

 

Hoplisoma adofoi - Lineage 9

 

Hoplisoma duplicareus - Lineage 9

Above images showing Hoplisoma adofoi on top and Hoplisoma duplicareus on the bottom both in lineage 9

 

This Cory along with the vast majority of the Genus do better in a shoal of at least 6 as they are quite a timid species and will feel more secure in numbers. You will also have a better chance of also spawning this species They are not one of the easiest Corydoras/Hoplisoma to breed and a lot of work and patience is called for (see below in the breeding section).

 

Brochis imitator - (longer snout-lineage 8 Sub-clade 4)

 

Hoplisoma burgessi - Lineage 9

Top image showing the very similar Brochis imitator (longer snout-lineage 8 Sub-clade 4) and at the bottom Hoplisoma burgessi - Lineage 9

 

Adolfo's Corydoras

Corydoras adolfoi

Corydoradinae

South America: Brazil, small tributary of the upper Rio Negro near the village of São Gabriel da Cachoeira.(see location map)

Male: 5.5cm (2¼ins) Female: 6.0cm (2½ins)

24ºC to 30ºC (75ºF-86ºF)

Shape of head; short and compact with the body a typical Corydoras shape.

A tank setup would entail a soft substrate such as sand or a small gravel and a nice plant covering around the back and sides of the aquarium. If housed in a community tank a mixture of small South American characins or the smaller varieties of Asian Rasboras would suffice, as larger fishes would intimidate these shy Cory's, and would stop them eating and would be therefore detrimental to their overall health.

As per standard Corydoras breeding structures. Set them up with preferably more males than females ( a ratio of 2:1 is good ) in a 18" x 12" x 12" tank with either fine gravel or sand with either sponge filter or a corner filter box with a good current. Install some java moss or wool mops, this gives the females a choice of where to place their eggs but you will probably find that they will mostly lay them on the glass anyway.

A temperature in the mid-seventies is good with a p.H around about the neutral (7) mark. Feed a diet of frozen or live food such as bloodworm, whiteworm (sparingly because of the fat content) grindleworm, daphnia and a good quality flake or tablet food.

Make a 50% water change, when you notice the female(s) have fattened up, with water that is cooler so as to bring the temperature down. A good idea is to also add a small internal filter to push the water around the aquarium which will also oxygenate it.

If successful you can either take the adults out and leave the eggs in the main tank or reverse it and take the eggs out by rolling them of the tank sides with your fingers into a small hatching tank, you can then decide to add a anti-fungus remedy or to leave alone. If you make the wrong choice and the eggs fungus you will get another chance as once Corydoras/Hoplisoma start to breed the first time they will carry on using the afore-mentioned process.

It has been stated that the fry of Hoplisoma adolfoi are a bit harder to raise than the norm as they are difficult to start feeding and a trick used by some breeders is to mix them with fry from other Corydoras species so they can follow the other fry when they are feeding and so get a start to show how to start eating.

A good quality flake food and tablet food for adults with sparodic feedings of frozen or live food will keep your Corydoras/Hoplisoma in good health. Feeding the fry after they use up their yolk-sac with brine shrimp naupli, microworm and fry flake food.

adolfoi: Named in honour of Adolfo Schwartz.

Alexandrou, Markos & Taylor, Martin. (2011). Evolution, ecology and taxonomy of the Corydoradinae revisited.
Angelica C Dias, Luiz F C Tencatt, Fabio F Roxo, Gabriel de Souza da Costa Silva, Sérgio A Santos, Marcelo R Britto, Martin I Taylor, Claudio Oliveira, Phylogenomic analyses in the complex Neotropical subfamily Corydoradinae (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) with a new classification based on morphological and molecular data, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2024;, zlae053.
Ian A. M. Fuller & Hans-Georg Evers (2011). Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish Supplement 1. Ian Fuller Enterprises.
Fuller, I.A.M. & Evers, H-G: 2005 Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish 384 p.

Photo Credits

1. © Sandy Milne   
2. © Sandy Milne
3. © Adrian Payne
4. © Allan James @
5. © Dennis Barrett