Menezesi Cory

About

Found in the coastal river drainages of Ceará in northeastern Brazil, Aspidoras menezesi is a small armored catfish that will feel immediately familiar to anyone who has kept corydoras. The two groups are close relatives, and this species behaves much like its more commonly seen cousins. Spending its time cruising the substrate, picking through fine sediment for food, and generally minding its own business around tankmates. What sets the aspidoras genus apart biologically is the presence of a secondary skull-like bone under the main skull, a structural quirk not found in corydoras. This species is also a facultative air-breather, meaning it can supplement gill respiration by gulping air at the surface, which is a useful adaptation for the sometimes oxygen-poor environments these fish inhabit in the wild. At just one to two inches as an adult, it stays quite small, and a peaceful community setup with similarly sized fish suits it well. Like corydoras, it should be kept in a group rather than alone. Social interaction seems to matter to these little catfish. One thing worth noting is the potential lifespan, which can stretch to several decades under good conditions, so this is a longer commitment than most hobbyists expect from a fish this size.