his
Corydoras is not too well known in the hobby
and has been only sporadically imported into the U.K.
It is quite a plain looking small Cory with a sandy
coloured body, small spots to the head and the predorsal
area, in fact it is not too unlike Corydoras
xinguensis
from Brazil which has the spots over the main part
of the body area and also Corydoras polystictus
from Brazil which has the same markings but is a more
dumpier looking fish than sanchesi
Corydoras
cf.
sanchesi
The one unusual
feature of this Corydoras is that the males
have an extended top caudal lobe, which you can just
see on the male in the accompanying photograph. This
is a feature, as far as I know, that is quite unique
to the Corydoras genus and this alone should
make it an interesting species to keep. Corydoras
breeder and Catfish Study Group member, Ian Fuller,
has bred this species and has notified me that this
feature appears on the males on about the 10 week
period, so if buying young fish you could very well
get your pair, but even better, 2 males and one female.
Ian has kindly
prepared for me a spawning report on this species
and the difficulty of rearing them, especially pertaining
to the water temperature, this appears below in the
breeding section, but if you want to see the fry growth
accompanied by the line drawings prepared by him,
it is just a click away in the articles section
of ScotCat.
Acknowledgements : Ian Fuller for the above photo
and the information given for this Factsheet.
Update:
This is now thought not to be a species of
Corydoras sanchesi, but very similar, so
it is given the cf. name meaning similar to.
The image below
shows the true C. sanchesi with the black
to the first hard dorsal ray fin.
Corydoras
sanchesi
Remarks:
Corydoras sanchesi
is placed in Lineage 9, the "short-snouted"
species with the designated type species: C. punctatus.
A revision in the future would constitute the resurrection
of the genus name Hoplosopma (Agassiz, 1846).
Common
Name:
Sanchesi's
Cory
Synonyms:
None
Family:
Callichthyidae
Subfamily:
Corydoradinae
Distribution:
South America:
The true Corydoras sanchesi comes from Surinam
but this look-a-like species may come from
Brazil.
Size:
Male: 4.5cm (1¾ins)
Female: 5.0cm (2ins)
Temp:
22-25°C
(71-77°F)
p.H.
6.0-7.2.
Characteristics
Dorsal 1/7; Head short and
compact. Male with extended top lobe to caudal fin.
Colouration
Body sandy coloured with fins
all clear with the first spine to dorsal fin darker.
Small spots to the head and the predorsal area.
Aquarium
Care & Compatibility
This is akin to most of this
genus, very peaceful, and would be best housed with
small to medium tankmates such as Tetras, Rasboras
and Danios or in a species
tank for breeding purposes.
Reproduction
The spawning followed the typical
Corydoras T mating position. The
fish took over eight hours to lay 50 plus 1.8mm diameter
eggs. There was none of the usual hustle and bustle,
with the male chasing and pestering the female. He
would just gently glide around her offering himself
sideways on, first from one side, and then the other.
Eventually the female would make contact and they
would lock into a clinch. During this locked position,
both fish would quiver for a few seconds. Between
3 and 7 light orange coloured eggs would be deposited
into the females ventral fin pouch, the pair would
then part, with the male wandering off rummaging in
the gravel for food, and the female just leaning on
one pectoral fin, resting.
The female would rest for anything
up to ten minutes before scurrying off looking for
a suitable place to place her eggs. Most of the
eggs were deposited in the Java Moss, with just one
or two stuck to the tank sides, and a couple on the
side of the filter. Based on the first spawning the
eggs will take four days to hatch, and the fry are
large enough to take newly hatched brine shrimp three
days after hatching. Further foods will be micro worm
and powdered flake, followed by larger offerings of
grindal worms and sifted Daphnia, as the fry get larger.
When the fry get to around
12mm, whole tablet food will also be given. The fry
swarm all over these tablets when they are offered.
Its a magic sight to see dozens of fry gathered
all around and feeding so avidly.Small water changes
are made every day once the fry are feeding, with
particular care being taken to use water of exactly
the same temperature. If the temperature differs by
more than a degree it can wipe out a complete brood.
These water changes are essential if the fry are to
develop to their full potential.
Diet
The usual fare for adult
Corydoras, a good quality flake food, tablet food,
frozen bloodworm and whiteworm used sparingly.
Etymology
Corydoras:Cory=helmeted;doras
=leathery skin, (helmeted
Doras) cuirass. sanchesi: Named after Mr.Gijsbert
Harry Sanches.
References
Alexandrou,
Markos & Taylor, Martin. (2011). Evolution,
ecology and taxonomy of the Corydoradinae revisited.
Fuller, I.A.M. & Evers, H-G: 2005 Identifying
Corydoradinae Catfish Ian Fuller Enterprises. 384
p Ian A. M. Fuller & Hans-Georg Evers
(2011). Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish Supplement
1. Ian Fuller Enterprises. www.corydorasworld.com
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