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his is your so-called pygmy species of Corydoras or as I prefer to call them, a dwarf Cory, along with Gastrodermus pygmaes and Gastrodermus hastatus.

Hoplisoma habrosum

There is sometimes a difference in body markings in this species, but basically they have 3 blotches running along the body, one just under the dorsal fin, one midway between the dorsal and the adipose fin and a larger blotch on the caudal peduncle. Sometimes you can get species that have these markings merging into one band running the full length of the body from the start of the dorsal fin to the caudal peduncle, or even 2 bands ( see photo), but the spot/blotch on the peduncle is always larger than the rest of these markings.

There is a very similar species, namely Hoplisoma cochui from Brazil but the difference is in the body markings where H. cochui has 4 blotches and H .habrosum, 3. In place of the large blotch in the caudal peduncle of H . habrosum, H. cochui has 2 smaller spots situated between the adipose fin and the caudal peduncle (where the tail meets the body).

H. habrosumas you may gather now, is a small species, with the females growing a little bit bigger than the males. They are just too small to house in a large community tank and will also suffer at the hands of other larger inhabitants such as barbs, especially Tiger Barbs who will pick on them as they sit motionless on the substrate. An ideal tank would be a 18"x12"x12" or a 24"x12"x12" with peaceful livebearers such as Guppies or Platies and small characins such as Neons.

Hoplisoma habrosum (3 weeks)

You could have the p.H. of this tank set around neutral (7.0) and it would suit all inhabitants.Another idea of course, and the one I prefer, is to have them in their own tank. A 18"x12"x12" would be ideal, with around 8 specimens, 5 males and 3 females or 6 males and 2 females. You could of course acquire them as juveniles from other breeders and let them grow on in this tank. A 10% water change every week would suffice, and the best way to entice them to spawn.

Dainty Corydoras

Corydoras habrosus

Corydoradinae

South America: Venezuela, in the Rio Cojedes, near El Baul, State of Cojedes.

Male: 3.0cm (1¼ins) Female: 3.5cm (1½ins)

21-25°C (69-77°F)

Dorsal 1/7; Shape of head, short and compact.

This is akin to most of this genus, very peaceful, and would be best housed with small to medium tankmates such as Tetras, Rasboras and Danios or in a species tank due to their small size.

I set them up ( 2males and 1 female) in a 18"x10"x10" tank with bird sand (to keep p.H.up as I have very soft water) a sponge filter and a clump of Java Moss. My first spawning numbered 20, ( egg size 2mm) and as I had to go away that particular weekend the eggs hatched when I had come back. The fry were very small and the parents did not bother them. They grew with a feeding of Liquifry for egglayers plus the pickings from the sponge on the filter. They then went on to Brine shrimp where the parents of course would eat as well.

Smaller foods for this Hoplisoma such as crushed flake, tablets, grindal worm and washed brine shrimp. Small frozen bloodworm is also a good food.

Hoplisoma: hóplon, shield or armor; soma, body, referring to bony plates on sides.
habrosum: Soft; delicate.

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.
Fuller, I.A.M. & Evers, H-G: 2005 Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish 384 p.
Lambourne, Derek. Corydoras Catfish, An Aquarists Handbook.
Seus, Werner; Corydoras The most popular armoured catfishes of South America. Dähne Verlag. 218p.

Photo Credits

Top Image: © Graham Ramsay
Bottom Image: © Allan James @