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his member of the Callichthyidae genus has not been named to species and as such are known in the trade as Scleromystax ‘Baianinho II’. Scleromystax species are found in the rainforest streams, and not in the open river areas. This genus is related more to the Aspidoras than the Corydoras genera. As this genera are found on the south east coast of Brazil they will do better at lower temperatures.

Scleromystax sp. (C112)

In addition, Scleromystax differs from Aspidoras in its reduced ossified portion of pectoral spine, which is longer than half the length of the first branched pectoral-fin ray, and in its somewhat more elongate snout. Individuals of this genus also posses a conspicuous colouration pattern characterized by small striated blotches all over dorsum and sides of head (less conspicuous in Scleromystax prionotos).

There are at the present (May 2010) the six named Scleromystax species, S. barbatus, S. kronei, S. lacerdai, S. macropterus, S. prionotos and S. salmacis. There is also two c-numbers, this species C112, C113 and also two CW number CW038 and CW042 waiting for a description.

.Scleromystax sp. (C112) - eggs

Scleromystax sp. (C112) - six weeks old

The Scleromystax genera was resurrected by taxonomists (Britto; Marcelo R. Phylogeny of the subfamily Corydoradinae Hoedeman, 1952 (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae), with a definition of its genera) during an ongoing study of Corydoras, Aspidoras and Brochis in 2004. The main criteria for resurrecting the genera was the cheek bristles on the males.

Remarks: The genus Scleromystax belongs to lineage 3 and if there was a revision carried out on the Corydoradinae in the future they would remain so, with the designated type species S. barbatus (Günther, 1864).

C112, Baianinho II

None

Corydoradinae

South America: Brazil, São Paulo State.

Male: 8.0cm (3¼ins) Female: 7.5cm (3ins)

20-25°C (67-77°F)

6.0-7.2.

Lateral ethmoid long; contact between supraoccipital and nuchal plate; palatine slender; odontodes on preopercular-opercular region of males.

Males have a light brown body with reticulated markings to the head. There is a darker band running the full length of the body on the lateral line. Below this the body is cream coloured. Females are more plain and tend to have the dark band broken up in sections and the cream colour of the underside is less defined. In the females there are also about three small gold flecks along the lateral line.

As with most members of the Callichthyidae they are peaceful and good additions to the larger "cool water" aquarium set up with maybe other cool water fish such as White Cloud Mountain Minnows and other fish that are comfortable with a temperature around the 70°f (21.5°c) mark.

As per the Corydoradinae sub family with the males chasing the females and clinching in the time honoured T-position. They will lay their eggs medium to high up on the glass and are easily rolled off with your fingers and placed in a small container to hatch and then when they use up their yolk sac they can be fed very small first foods such as Liquifry no.1 and then on to fry flake and micro worm and tablet food. I added an airline to this container to move the water around gently.

The pectoral fins are longer in the males as in the the females. They also have bristles on the snout which are very hard to distiguish. The males are also better marked and coloured.

As with other members of the Corydoradinae they relish tablet and good quality flake food with frozen bloodworm a firm favourite. They are also keen on chopped earthworms and other worm foods such as white worm used sparingly, and grindal worm.

Nuchal plate: Area between the skull and dorsal fin.
Odontodes: Hair - like stuctures on the body.
Opercular: The bony covering of the gills of fishes.
Palatine: Bone which lies laterally in the roof of the mouth.
Preoperculum: The anterior bone of the opercular series, forming the border of the cheek.
Supraoccipital: Unpaired bone at the back at the back of the skull, usually with a crest.

Scleromystax: From the Greek "sclero" meaning hard and the Latin "mystax" meaning moustache.

Alexandrou, Markos & Taylor, Martin. (2011). Evolution, ecology and taxonomy of the Corydoradinae revisited.
Britto; Marcelo R., Phylogeny of the subfamily Corydoradinae Hoedeman, 1952 (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae), with a definition of its genera. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 153: 119–154.
Ian A. M. Fuller & Hans-Georg Evers (2011). Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish Supplement 1. Ian Fuller Enterprises.

Photo Credits

Top: © Graham Ramsay
Bottom: © Allan James @