orydoras reticulatus, (now Brochis reticulata)
an old favourite in the hobby, and is similar toBrochis
sodalisbut
this species has no blotch in the dorsal fin and has
bars instead.
Brochis
reticulata
There has been
a few undescribed species imported as B. reticulata
that are similar. The species below was purchased
by me with another two specimens in 2015 and as you
can see the body is somewhat deeper with
different markings.
Brochis
cf.
reticulata
Brochis
sodalis - very similar looking
Remarks:
Corydoras reticulatus belongs to Lineage 8 sub
clade 3 along with C. sodalis and C.
latus etc. which in the future will be taken
out of the Corydoras genera and given a new
genus name. This lineage comprises of the deeper-bodied
species and also includes the Brochis which
at the present resides in the Corydoras but
will be moved back to Brochis in future literature.
As
of the latest revision (Dias
et al 2024) Corydoras reticulatus
has now been placed in Lineage 8 sub clade 3 and has
the new genus name of Brochis
and a change to the specific name to reticulata.
Common
Name
Mosaic
Corydoras
Synonyms
None
Family
Callichthyidae
Subfamily
Corydoradinae
Distribution:
South America:
Peru; Rio Ampiyacu, tributary of the Rio Amazonas
near Pebas, Rio Tamya, tributary of the Rio Ucayali,
near Masisea.
Size
Male: 6.0cm (2¼ins)
Female: 6.5cm (2½ins)
Temp.
22-26°C (71-79°F)
p.H.
6.0-7.2.
Characteristics
Head, short and compact.
Colouration
Body light silver-grey with
a metalic-green shimmer with black wormlike bands
forming a mosaic pattern. Darker on head and along
back. The belly region sometimes has straight black
lines in some specimens with a white background. Caudal
fin rays are banded black and white, forming six to
eight transverse rows. Dorsal fin sports a black patch
in the middle with scattered pigmentation. Small black
spots are present in the anal and adipose fins.
Aquarium
Care & Compatibility
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 for breeding purposes. Will
do well in a community setup. Do not house with aggressive
species or large Cichlids.
Reproduction
As per standard Corydoras/Brochis
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 start to breed the first time they
will carry on using the afore-mentioned process.
For other tips on breeding
Corydoras/Brochis go to the breeding
articles section of ScotCat where you will find plenty
of articles on the subject.
Sexual
Differences
Females will get decidedly
rotund when in breeding condition with the males usually
having more pointed ventral fins.
Diet
A good quality flake food provides
all the essential vitamins that they need with extra
feedings of frozen bloodworm, white worm (sparingly)
and tablet food.
Glossary
of Terms
Caudal
fin: The tail. Clade:A group defined
by at least one shared derived character or synapomorphy
inherited from a common ancestor; a monophyletic higher
taxon, a branch on a cladogram. Dorsal: The primary rayed fin(s) on
top of the body. Pectoral fin: The paired fins just
behind the head. Ventral fin: The paired fins, between
the pectorals and the anal fins.
Etymology
Brochis:
A sling, (a reference
to the structure of the barbels). reticulata: With a reticulated
pattern, or net-like design.
References
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, A. M. Ian;
Breeding Corydoradine Catfishes. Ian
Fuller Enterprises, Kidderminster. 248 p.
Ian A. M. Fuller & Hans-Georg Evers (2011).
Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish Supplement 1. Ian
Fuller Enterprises. Seus, Werner,
Corydoras. The most popular armoured catfishes of
South America. Dähne Verlag, Ettlingen GmbH.
1993 218p. www.corydorasworld.com
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