''Aspidoras'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

es of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Callichthyidae Callichthyidae is a family of catfishes (order Siluriformes), called armored catfishes due to the two rows of bony plates (or scutes) along the lengths of their bodies. It contains some of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish, such as many s ...

from Brazil.

Taxonomy

The type species for this genus is ''

Aspidoras rochai ''Aspidoras rochai'' is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Corydoradinae sub-family of the family Callichthyidae. It originates in inland waters in South America, and is found in coastal rivers in Ceará, Brazil. The fish will grow in ...

''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''Aspidoras'' is easily distinguished from the other genera of the subfamily

Corydoradinae Callichthyidae is a family of catfishes (order Siluriformes), called armored catfishes due to the two rows of bony plates (or scutes) along the lengths of their bodies. It contains some of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish, such as many s ...

by the presence of a

supraoccipital The occipital bone () is a cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the occiput (back and lower part of the skull). It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone overlies the occipital lobes of the cere ...

fontanel A fontanelle (or fontanel) (colloquially, soft spot) is an anatomical feature of the infant human skull comprising soft membranous gaps ( sutures) between the cranial bones that make up the calvaria of a fetus or an infant. Fontanelles allow f ...

; this character is an

autapomorphy In phylogenetics, an autapomorphy is a distinctive feature, known as a derived trait, that is unique to a given taxon. That is, it is found only in one taxon, but not found in any others or outgroup taxa, not even those most closely related to t ...

for the genus. Many of the species of ''Aspidoras'' are similar and often hard to distinguish. Without specimens, it is often very difficult to positively identify a species from photographs alone. They are all small species. ''A. taurus'' is exceptional in that it just surpasses 5 cm in length. The

monophyly In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gr ...

of the genus has been demonstrated.

Species

There are currently 23 recognized species in this genus: * '' Aspidoras albater''

Nijssen Nijssen is a Dutch patronymic surname originating from the given name "Denijs" (DenisPeople with this surname include: ; ;Nijssen * Han Nijssen (1935–2013), Dutch ichthyologist * Sjir Nijssen (born 1938), Dutch computer scientist known for Nij ...

& Isbrücker, 1976 (False macropterus) * '' Aspidoras belenos'' M. R. Britto, 1998 * '' Aspidoras brunneus''

& Isbrücker, 1976 * '' Aspidoras carvalhoi''

& Isbrücker, 1976 * ''

Aspidoras depinnai ''Aspidoras depinnai'' is a relatively recently discovered catfish. It belongs to the subfamily Corydoradinae of the family Callichthyidae. It is found in the Ipojuca River The Ipojuca River is a river of Pernambuco state in eastern Brazil. ...

'' M. R. Britto, 2000 * ''

Aspidoras eurycephalus ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''Aspidor ...

& Isbrücker, 1976 * ''

Aspidoras fuscoguttatus ''Aspidoras fuscoguttatus'' is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Corydoradinae sub-family of the family Callichthyidae. It originates in inland waters in South America, and is found in the upper Paraná River basin in Brazil and P ...

& Isbrücker, 1976 * ''

Aspidoras gabrieli ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''Aspidor ...

'' Wosiacki, T. G. Pereira & R. E. dos Reis, 2014 * ''

Aspidoras lakoi ''Aspidoras lakoi'' is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Corydoradinae sub-family of the family Callichthyidae. It originates in inland waters in South America, and is found in the upper Paraná River basin in Brazil. The fish will gro ...

'' P. Miranda-Ribeiro, 1949 * ''

Aspidoras maculosus ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''Aspidor ...

& Isbrücker, 1976 * ''

Aspidoras marianae ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''Aspidor ...

'' M. D. V. Leão, M. R. Britto & Wosiacki, 2015 * ''

Aspidoras menezesi ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''As ...

& Isbrücker, 1976 * '' Aspidoras mephisto'' Tencatt & Bichuette, 2017 * '' Aspidoras microgalaeus'' M. R. Britto, 1998 * ''

Aspidoras pauciradiatus The sixray corydoras (''Aspidoras pauciradiatus'') or false corydoras is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Corydoradinae sub-family of the family Callichthyidae. It originates in inland waters in South America, and is found in the up ...

'' ( S. H. Weitzman &

, 1970) (Sixray corydoras) * ''

Aspidoras poecilus ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''Aspidor ...

& Isbrücker, 1976 * ''

Aspidoras psammatides ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''Aspid ...

'' M. R. Britto, F. C. T. Lima & A. C. A. Santos, 2005 * ''

Aspidoras raimundi ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''As ...

'' (

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 1907) * ''

'' R. Ihering, 1907 * ''

Aspidoras spilotus ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''As ...

& Isbrücker, 1976 * ''

Aspidoras taurus ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''As ...

'' F. C. T. Lima & M. R. Britto, 2001 * ''

Aspidoras velites ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''As ...

'' M. R. Britto, F. C. T. Lima & C. L. R. Moreira, 2002 * ''

Aspidoras virgulatus ''Aspidoras'' is a genus of catfishes of the family Callichthyidae from Brazil. Taxonomy The type species for this genus is ''Aspidoras rochai''. The name ''Aspidoras'' is derived from the Greek ''aspis'' (shield) and ''dora'' (skin). ''As ...

& Isbrücker, 1980

Distribution

''Aspidoras'' species are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to small and shallow streams draining the

Brazilian Shield The Amazonian Craton is a geologic province located in South America. It occupies a large portion of the central, north and eastern part of the continent and represents one of Earth's largest cratonic regions. The Guiana Shield and Central Brazi ...

. The species of ''Aspidoras'' are distributed in eastern and central Brazil. Most species are narrowly endemic, occurring in restricted areas of some major river drainages: ''A. fuscoguttatus'' and ''A. lakoi'' from the

Paraná River The Paraná River ( es, Río Paraná, links=no , pt, Rio Paraná, gn, Ysyry Parana) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Br ...

system. ''A. albater'', ''A. eurycephalus'' and ''A. gabrieli'' from the

Tocantins River The Tocantins River ( pt, Rio Tocantins, link=no , , Parkatêjê: ''Pyti'' ɨˈti is a river in Brazil, the central fluvial artery of the country. In the Tupi language, its name means "toucan's beak" (''Tukã'' for "toucan" and ''Ti'' for "beak" ...

system. ''A. brunneus'', ''A. marianae'' and ''A. microgalaeus'' from the

Xingu River The Xingu River ( ; pt, Rio Xingu, ; Mẽbêngôkre: ''Byti'', ) is a river in north Brazil. It is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River and one of the largest clearwater rivers in the Amazon basin, accounting for about 5% of its water. ...

system. ''A. belenos'', ''A. pauciradiatus'' and ''A. velites'' from

Araguaia River The Araguaia River ( pt, Rio Araguaia , Karajá: ♂ ''Berohokỹ'' eɾohoˈkə̃ ♀ ''Bèrakuhukỹ'' ɛɾakuhuˈkə̃ is one of the major rivers of Brazil though it is almost equal in volume at its confluence with the Tocantins. It has a tota ...

system. ''A. rochai'' from rivers around

Fortaleza Fortaleza (, locally , Portuguese for ''Fortress'') is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. It belongs to the Metropolitan mesoregion of Fortaleza and microregion of Fortaleza. It is Brazil's 5th largest city and the ...

. ''A. raimundi'' from the

Parnaíba River The Parnaíba River ( pt, Rio Parnaíba) is a river in Brazil, which forms the border between the states of Maranhão and Piauí. Its main course is long and the Parnaíba River Basin covers .Ramos, T.P.A.; Ramos, R.T.C.; and Ramos, S.A.Q.A. (2 ...

. ''A. carvalhoi'' from rivers around Guaramiranga, Ceará State. ''A. maculosus'' from the Itapicuru River. ''A. menezesi'' from the

Jaguaribe River The Jaguaribe River is a highly seasonal river in Ceará state of northeastern Brazil. Two large dams were constructed across the Jaguaribe, the Orós Dam, completed in 1960, and the Castanhão Dam, completed in 2003. The Castanhão Dam flooded ...

. ''A. spilotus'' from the Acaráu River. ''A. poecilus'' from the

, and

systems. ''A. psammatides'' from the

Paraguaçu River The Paraguaçu River () is a river in Bahia state of eastern Brazil. It runs from the Chapada Diamantina highlands of central Bahia to its mouth at the Baía de Todos os Santos. The Paraguaçu is the largest river entirely within Bahia. Its b ...

. ''A. virgulatus'' from the coastal rivers in

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist att ...

. ''A. depinnai'' is from the

Ipojuca River The Ipojuca River is a river of Pernambuco state in eastern Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 ...

basin, Pernambuco State. ''A. taurus'' is known from the upper

Itiquira River The Itiquira River is a river of Mato Grosso state in western Brazil. See also *List of rivers of Mato Grosso List of rivers in Mato Grosso (Brazilian State). The list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under ...

and upper

Taquari River The Taquari River ( pt, Rio Taquari) is a river in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil. It is a left tributary of the Paraguay River. The town of Coxim is situated on the Taquari. The Taquari River is considered the most d ...

, both tributaries of the

Paraguay River The Paraguay River (Río Paraguay in Spanish, Rio Paraguai in Portuguese, Ysyry Paraguái in Guarani) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. It flows about from its headwaters in ...

Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP. Neighborin ...

State, Brazil.

In the aquarium

''Aspidoras'' do fairly well in aquaria under similar conditions as for most ''Corydoras'' species. The water conditions that seem best are a pH of 6.8 to 7.0 and a temperature of about 22 °C to 26 °C. The species that is most likely to be found in an aquarium is the sixray corydoras, ''

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q136190 Callichthyidae Taxa named by Rodolpho von Ihering Fish of South America Catfish genera Freshwater fish genera