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wing to a new description in 2021 by L. F. C. Tencatt S. A. dos santos H.-G. Evers and M. R. Britto, Corydoras sp. C115/116 was described in honour of the owner of the online catfish page, Corydoras Worlds Ian Fuller, and all the ongoing work he has accomplished to the sub-family Corydoradinae. Captive breeding in Germany has proved that C115 and C116 represent the same, very variable species. It is placed in Lineage 1. and when there is a revision they will stay as Corydoras (Lacépède, 1803) with the type species of C. geoffroy La Cépède, 1803. This species was discovered by Lance Peck of the GoWildPeru online eco travel firm.

Corydoras fulleri - adult female

The new species can be distinguished from C. acutus and C. vittatus by having two moderate-sized dark-brown or black blotches on caudal-fin base, one on its lateral portion and another one on its dorsal portion, which can be variably diffuse and/or fused with each other (vs. peduncular blotches absent). Considering C. filamentosus, it can be distinguished by having the region around dorsal-fin anterior origin generally lacking a dark-brown or black blotch, and if such a blotch is present, it is diffuse (vs. region around dorsal-fin anterior origin with conspicuous dark brown or black blotch), (Tencatt et al. 2021).

C. fulleri is currently known only from two tributaries of the Río Manuripe, itself a tributary of the Río Orthon, and from a tributary of the Río Madre de Dios, Rio Madeira basin, Peru, all close to the border between Peru and Bolivia. (Tencatt et al. 2021).

Corydoras fulleri: (C115/116) showing the variable body markings from the image above.

In 1993 Hans-Georg Evers a German aquarist and a leading light in the aquarist world implemented the C-code system for the German magazine DATZ due to the many undescribed species that were entering the hobby without any name.

These number codes (C for Corydoras) meant that the whole aquarist world would know what each specimen was as it will be many years before these code number species will be described to science. When any C-number is described the corresponding number will be retired.

DATZ stopped the C-number coding system with C159 but there were still unidentified species still arriving in the hobby so in 2006 Ian Fuller who runs the corydoradinae website, www.corydorasworld.com decided to carry on with this same coding method with his CW (Corydorasworld) numbers. The latest number as of November 2021 is CW175.

Information on the Lineage system: In 2005 the book Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish by Ian A. M. Fuller and Hans-Georg Evers (2005) was published and at that time little was known about the relationships among different species in the Callichthyidae as a whole and even less was known about the relationships among the Corydoradinae. This was changed in 2011 with the publication of the molecular phylogeny of the group: Evolution, Ecology and Taxonomy of the Corydoradinae revisited: Markos A Alexandrou & Martin I Taylor (2011), which was published in the follow up book in 2011, Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish Supplement 1. Our factsheet species resides in Lineage 1.

A total of 200 preserved individuals, representing over 120 different species (including all mimetic taxa), were photographed and used for digital landmark-based morphometric analysis of body shape. To find out all of the lineages just click this link. To see all the species in their designated lineage visit this link.

Distrbution: Peru, Río Madre de Dios drainage. Type locality: A stream tributary of the Río Manuripe in the region locally known as “Alegría”.

C115, C116

None

Corydoradinae

South America: Found in two tributaries of the Río Manuripe and a tributary of the Río Madre de Dios, Rio Madeira basin, Peru.

Male: 7.0cm (2¾ins) Female: 7.5cm (3ins)

22-26°C (71-79°F)

It has a well developed and conical snout which frames a slightly concaved head shape from the tip of the snout to the anterior nares. It is distinctive owing to it having two pores within its supraorbital canal, three series of teeth on the upper tooth plate of the branchial arch, and, a small fleshy flap at the corner of the mouth, ventral to the maxillary barbel.

As this is one of the longer snouted species it will be well suited to most community tanks. A well planted tank with a soft substrate such as sand so they can bury their snouts while searching out food.

The Lineage 1 species are more difficult to breed. As per Corydoras spawning. (see articles).

As well-documented in Corydoradinae (see Britto, 2003; Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1980b), male specimens of C. fulleri present lanceolate genital papilla. Additionally, the males present a thickened pectoral spine, especially its distal half, which is generally covered by hypertrophied odontodes, and also formation of a segmented filament on the tip of the spine, as illustrated by Nijssen & Isbrücker (1983b: 81, fig. 10g).

Readily accepts a mixed and varied diet which includes granular foods, tablet food, frozen bloodworm and a good quality flake.

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.

Corydoras: Cory = helmeted; doras = leathery skin,(helmeted Doras) cuirass.
fulleri: Described in honour of the owner of the online catfish page, Corydoras Worlds Ian Fuller, and all the ongoing work he has accomplished to the sub-family Corydoradinae.

Alexandrou, Markos & Taylor, Martin. (2011). Evolution, ecology and taxonomy of the Corydoradinae revisited.
Fuller, I.A.M. & Evers, H-G: 2005 Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish 384 p
Ian A. M. Fuller & Hans-Georg Evers (2011). Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish Supplement 1. Ian Fuller Enterprises.
Tencatt LFC, dos Santos SA, Evers H-G, Britto MR. Corydoras fulleri (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae), a new catfish species from the rio Madeira basin, Peru. J Fish Biol. 2021;1–15.

Photo Credits

© Ian Fuller @
© Allan James @ courtesy of