Aspidoras

Taxobox
name = "Aspidoras"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Siluriformes
familia = Callichthyidae
subfamilia = Corydoradinae
tribus = Aspidoradini
genus = "Aspidoras"
genus_authority = Ihering, 1907
type_species = "Aspidoras rochai"
type_species_authority = Ihering, 1907
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "A. albater"
"A. belenos"
"A. brunneus"
"A. carvalhoi"
"A. depinnai"
"A. eurycephalus"
"A. fuscoguttatus"
"A. lakoi"
"A. maculosus"
"A. menezesi"
"A. microgalaeus"
"A. pauciradiatus"
"A. poecilus"
"A. psammatides"
"A. raimundi"
"A. rochai"
"A. spilotus"
"A. taurus"
"A. velities"
"A. virgulatus"

"Aspidoras" is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Callichthyidae.

Taxonomy

The type species for this genus is "Aspidoras rochai". The name "Aspidoras" is derived from the Greek "aspis" (shield) and "dora" (skin).FishBase genus | genus = Aspidoras | year = 2006 | month = March]

"Aspidoras" is easily distinguished from the other genera of the subfamily Corydoradinae by the presence of a supraoccipital fontanel; this character is an autapomorphy for the genus.cite journal|journal=Copeia|year=2000|issue=4|pages=1048–1055|title="Aspidoras depinnai" (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae): A New Species from Northeastern Brazil|first=Marcelo R.|last=Britto] 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.

The monophyly of the genus has been demonstrated.cite journal|url=http://acd.ufrj.br/ppgzoo/orientadores/dados/Artigos%20Brito/Phylogeny%20Corydoradinae%20(Britto).pdf|title=Phylogeny of the subfamily Corydoradinae Hoedeman, 1952 (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae), with a definition of its genera|first=Marcelo R.|last=Britto|journal=Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia|volume=153|pages=119–154|month=December | year=2003|format=PDF] Several species of "Aspidoras"remain to be described.

Distribution

"Aspidoras" species are endemic to small and shallow streams draining the Brazilian Shield.cite journal|journal=Copeia|year=2001|issue=4|pages=1010–1016|title=New Catfish of the Genus "Aspidoras" (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) from the Upper Rio Paraguai System in Brazil|first=Flávio C. T.|last=Lima|coauthors=Britto, Marcelo R.] The species of "Aspidoras" are distributed in northeastern and central Brazil, in the states of Ceará, Maranhão, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Espírito Santo. [cite web|url=http://www.tolweb.org/Aspidoras/15342|title=Aspidoras|last=Reis|first=Roberto E.|authorlink=Roberto Esser dos Reis|date=1997-04-22|publisher=Tree of Life Web Project|accessdate=2007-07-12] Most species are narrowly endemic, occurring in restricted areas of some major river drainages: "A. lakoi" and "A. fuscoguttatus" from the Paraná River system, "A. albater" and "A. eurycephalus" from the Tocantins River system, "A. brunneus" and "A. microgalaeus" from the Xingu River system, and "A. belenos" from Araguaia River system. Six species are known from northeastern Brazilian coastal river basins: "A. rochai" from rivers around Fortaleza, "A. raimundi" from the Parnaíba River, "A. carvalhoi" from rivers around Guaramiranga, Ceará State, "A. maculosus" from the Itapicuru River, "A. menezesi" from the Jaguaribe River, and "A. spilotus" from the Acaráu River. "A. depinnai", is from the Ipojuca River basin, Pernambuco State. "A. taurus" is known from the upper Itiquira River and upper Taquari River, both tributaries of the Paraguay River, Mato Grosso State, Brazil.

Description

They are all small species. "A. taurus" is exceptional in that it just surpasses 5 cm in length.

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, "Aspidoras pauciradiatus".

References

*cite book | title = A Complete Introduction to Corydoras and Related Catfishes | last = Burgess | first = Dr. Warren E. | publisher = T.F.H. Publications | location = Neptune City, NJ | year = 1987 | id = ISBN 0-86622-264-2
* Maik Arlt / Erik Schiller [http://www.bssw-online.de/pages/sonder3.htm BSSW Sonderheft "Aspidoras"]

[http://www.Aspidoras.com Aspidoras.com]