Acre Corydoras

About

The Acre Corydoras (Corydoras acrensis) is one of the more obscure members of an already sprawling genus. Originally described from just a single specimen, and with very little written about it since. What we do know places it firmly in the broader Corydoras mold: a small, peaceful, bottom-dwelling catfish from the Juruá River basin in South America, armored with bony plates rather than ordinary scales, as is characteristic of the family Callichthyidae. Like its relatives, it can breathe atmospheric air by gulping at the surface. A handy adaptation for life in oxygen-poor Amazonian waters, and something you'll notice it doing regularly in the aquarium. Keep in mind that the stiffened spines on the pectoral fins are no joke; they can pierce skin and cause real discomfort, and there's some suggestion that gland secretions near the spine bases may have mild toxic properties, so handle with care. Despite that caveat, this is a peaceful, undemanding fish that does best in a group of at least four to six individuals. Its beginner-friendly nature and small adult size make it a practical choice for a community setup, though the scarcity of species-specific information means you're largely working from what the genus as a whole tells us.