The dwarf corydoras (Corydoras hastatus), dwarf catfish, tail spot pigmy catfish, or micro catfish is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Corydoradinae sub-family of the Callichthyidae family. It originates in inland waters in South America, and is found in the Amazon River and Paraguay River basins in Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil. It was originally described by Carl H. Eigenmann and Rosa Smith Eigenmann, in 1888. The specific epithet hastatus means with a spear, in reference to the spearhead-like spot on the tail root. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) Ctenophora Cnidaria Bilateria (unranked) Acoelomorpha Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia Chordata Hemichordata Echinodermata Chaetognatha Superphylum Ecdysozoa Kinorhyncha Loricifera Priapulida Nematoda Nematomorpha Onychophora Tardigrada Arthropoda Superphylum Platyzoa Platyhelminthes Gastrotricha Rotifera Acanthocephala Gnathostomulida Micrognathozoa Cycliophora Superphylum Lophotrochozoa Sipuncula Nemertea Phoronida Bryozoa... {{{subdivision_ranks}}} See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Orders See text The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. ... Families Akysidae Amblycipitidae Amphiliidae Ariidae Aspredinidae Astroblepidae Auchenipteridae Bagridae Callichthyidae Cetopsidae Chacidae Clariidae Claroteidae Cranoglanididae Diplomystidae Doradidae Hypophthalmidae Ictaluridae Loricariidae Malapteruridae Mochokidae Nematogenyidae Pangasiidae Parakysidae Pimelodidae Plotosidae Schilbeidae Scoloplacidae Siluridae Sisoridae Trichomycteridae Catfish (order Siluriformes) are a diverse group of fish. ... Genera Aspidoras Brochis Callichthys Corydoras Dianema Hoplosternum Lepthoplosternum Megalechis Scleromystax The family Callichthyidae hails from South America and contains some of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish such as the corydoras. ... Common Species Corydoras aeneus Corydoras metae Corydoras paleatus Corydoras panda Corydoras Sterbai Corydoras trilineatus Members of the South American Corydoras genus are popular freshwater aquarium catfish, and are commonly referred to as cory catfish or simply corys. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carl H. Eigenmann (March 9, 1863 - April 24, 1927) was an ichthyologist who, along with his wife Rosa Smith Eigenmann, described many of the fishes of North America and South America for the first time. ... Rosa Smith Eigenmann (October 7, 1858 - January 12, 1947) was was the first notable female ichthyologist; first publishing in her own right, she later collaborated with her husband Carl H. Eigenmann, and some 150 species of fish are today credited Eigenmann & Eigenmann as a result. ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold blooded, covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... Genera Aspidoras Brochis Callichthys Corydoras Dianema Hoplosternum Lepthoplosternum Megalechis Scleromystax The family Callichthyidae hails from South America and contains some of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish such as the corydoras. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... A satellite image of the mouth of the Amazon River, looking south The Amazon River or River Amazon (Spanish: ; Portuguese: ) of South America is the most voluminous river on earth, having a greater total flow than the next six largest rivers combined. ... The Paraguay River near Asunción The River Paraguay (Rio Paraguay in Spanish, Rio Paraguai in Portuguese) is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil and Paraguay and forming a border between Brazil and Bolivia as well as Paraguay and Argentina. ... Carl H. Eigenmann (March 9, 1863 - April 24, 1927) was an ichthyologist who, along with his wife Rosa Smith Eigenmann, described many of the fishes of North America and South America for the first time. ... Rosa Smith Eigenmann (October 7, 1858 - January 12, 1947) was was the first notable female ichthyologist; first publishing in her own right, she later collaborated with her husband Carl H. Eigenmann, and some 150 species of fish are today credited Eigenmann & Eigenmann as a result. ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ...

Physical appearance

The body of Corydoras hastatus is typically more elongated than other Corydoras species. Its body is a transluscent white to olive color, with a thin dark stripe on the sides from behind the gill cover to the root of the tail, and a whitish belly. It has a white crescent at the base of the tail surrounding a black spot. The fish will grow in length up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm), but 1.0 inch (2.5 cm) is more typical. Males are smaller, more slender and have a more pointed dorsal fin than females. Common Species Corydoras aeneus Corydoras metae Corydoras paleatus Corydoras panda Corydoras Sterbai Corydoras trilineatus Members of the South American Corydoras genus are popular freshwater aquarium catfish, and are commonly referred to as cory catfish or simply corys. ... The operculum in fish is the hard bony flap covering and protecting the gills of Bony fish. ... An astronomically correct crescent shape (in blue). ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ... Dorsal Fin of the Orca A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of fishes, whales, dolphins and porpoises. ...

Native Habitat

The dwarf corydoras lives in a tropical climate in water with a 6.0 - 8.0 pH, a water hardness of 5 - 19 dGH, and a temperature range of 77 - 83 °F (25 - 28 °C). It feeds on worms, benthic crustaceans, insects, and plant matter. It differs from most Corydoras species by preferring the midwater areas instead of the bottom, spending most of its time well off the bottom in areas of dense plants. When it rests, it rests on the leaves of the plants. Other Corydoras species with similar mid-water habits include Corydoras habrosus and Corydoras pygmaeus. The dwarf corydoras maintains its position in a current by using rapid fin movements, especially with its pectoral fins. These rapid movements, combined with a high breathing rate, give the fish the appearance of being very "nervous" when compared with other fish. The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... . The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), who proposed it in 1724. ... Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale. ... A worm is an elongated soft-bodied invertebrate animal. ... In marine geology and biology, benthos are the organisms and habitats of the sea floor; in freshwater biology they are the organisms and habitats of the bottoms of lakes, rivers, and creeks. ... Classes & Subclasses Branchiopoda Phyllopoda Sarsostraca Remipedia Cephalocarida Maxillopoda Thecostraca Tantulocarida Branchiura Pentastomida Mystacocarida Copepoda Ostracoda Myodocopa Podocopa Malacostraca Phyllocarida Hoplocarida Eumalacostraca The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods (55,000 species), usually treated as a subphylum [1]. They include organisms such as lobsters, crabs, shrimp and barnacles. ... Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrates that are taxonomically referred to as the class Insecta. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta - rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta - zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta - trimerophytes Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta... Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than does air. ... Anxiety is a complex combination of emotions that includes fear, apprehension and worry, and is often accompanied by physical sensations such as palpitations, nausea, chest pain and/or shortness of breath. ...

The fish lays its eggs in dense vegetation and the adults do not guard the eggs. The female holds a single egg between her pelvic fins, where the male fertilizes them for about 30 seconds. Only then does the female swim to a suitable spot, where she attaches the sticky egg. The pair repeats this process about every three minutes for from one to two hours with some 10- to 15-minute rests between egg releases. Around 7 to 15 eggs are spawned in a single day, and spawning occurs on three to four consecutive days. A total of 30 to 60 eggs may be spawned by a single female over this period of time. The eggs hatch in three to nine days. The fry are about 6 mm long at hatching, mostly transluscent but sometimes with spots. In two months, the fry average about 18 mm in length. The fry mature in six to eight months. In most birds and reptiles, an apple (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. ... Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than does air. ... Look up second in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Dew drops adhering to a spider web Adhesion is the molecular attraction exerted between bodies in contact. ... A minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour and to 60 seconds. ... The hour (symbol: h) is a unit of time. ... Frog spawn Spawning is the production or depositing of eggs in large numbers by aquatic animals. ... Water, Rabbit, and Deer: three of the 20 day symbols in the Aztec calendar, from the Aztec Sun Stone. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Look up Month in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In the aquarium

The dwarf corydoras is of commercial importance in the aquarium trade industry. Due to its small size, this fish can be kept in a relatively small aquarium; a 5-gallon (20 L) tank is sufficient for a small school. Since it is a schooling fish, it should only be kept in groups of at least six individuals. It is a good community tank fish when kept with peaceful tankmates such as Tetras, Rasboras, and Danios, but should not be kept with overly aggressive tankmates. They have also been used as scavengers for fry tanks. For other uses, see Aquarium (disambiguation). ... The gallon (abbreviation: gal) is an English unit of volume. ... The litre or liter (U.S. spelling, see spelling differences) is a unit of volume. ... School of juvenile herring - many fish have the opercula wide open for ram feeding and you can see the red gills The term swarm (schooling or swarming) is applied to fish, birds and insects and describes a behavior of an aggregation (school) of animals of similar size and body orientation... Community tanks are aquaria that are designed to contain more than one species of fish. ... Look up tetra- in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Species See text. ... Species of Danionin Danio Danio albolineatus Danio abolineatus var pulcher Danio abolineatus var tweediei Danio choprae Danio dangila Danio feegradei Danio kerri Danio kyathit var spotted Danio kyathit var striped Danio meghalayensis Danio nigrofasciatus Danio roseus Danio rerio Danio rerio var frankei Danio sp aff kerri Danio sp aff kyathit... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and make it easier to understand, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Harvestman eating the tail of a five-lined skink The word scavenger, in zoology, refers to animals that consume already dead organic life-forms. ...

The aquarium should be clean, well-aerated, and densely planted to provide hiding places. A moderate current provided by a power filter or canister filter is appreciated. The water should be slightly alkaline (pH about 7.6) within a temperature range of 24° to 29°C. Although the fish is generally a mid-water dweller, a fine gravel or sand substrate should be provided since it will occasionally burrow. Aeration is the process of dissolving air in a liquid (usually water). ... Alkalinity or AT is a measure of the acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) of a solution. ... The substrate of an aquarium refers to the material used on the tank bottom. ...

The fish will feed both in midwater or on a substrate, whether that substrate is a plant leaf, a broad rock, or the bottom of the tank. It accepts most foods, including freeze-dried, flake, and frozen foods, although live foods are particularly appreciated. Freeze drying (also known as Lyophilization) is a dehydration process typically used to preserve a perishable material, or to make the material more convenient for transport. ...

The methods of spawning this fish in the aquarium is similar to spawning most other Corydoras species. The spawning tank can be as small as 2.5 gallons (10 L), but at least a 5-gallon (20 L) tank is recommended with aged water, a sponge filter and some plants. Fish should be conditioned with large amounts of live foods such as Tubifex and whiteworms, during which time the females will become noticeably plumper. Since C. hastatus may spawn as a school, the whole group can be conditioned for spawning at the same time, and for best results, there should be at least two males for every female. Binomial name Tubifex tubifex (Müller, 1774) Tubifex tubifex, also called the sludge worm, is a species of tubificid segmented worm that inhabits the sediments of lakes and rivers on several continents. ...

Spawning of well-conditioned fish may be initiated by the addition of cooler water. During spawning, very little food is accepted, but the fish will immediately search for food after finishing. It will typically attach its eggs to the plants in the aquarium, but if not enough plants are available, the sides of the aquarium may be used. When the fry hatch, they can be fed newly hatched brine shrimp or microworms. The parents may be ready to spawn again in a couple of weeks. Species Artemia franciscana Artemia gracilis Artemia monica Artemia nyos Artemia parartemia Artemia parthenogenetica Artemia persimilis Artemia pollicaris Artemia salina Artemia sinica Artemia tibetiana Artemia tunesiana Artemia urmiana Brine shrimp (Artemia) are a type of aquatic crustacean. ... Microworms. ... A week is a [ PER [unit]] of time longer than a day and shorter than a month. ...

See also

• List of freshwater aquarium fish species

A vast number of species of fish have been successfully kept in the home aquarium. ...

External links

• Photos from Fishbase

References

• Burgess, Dr. Warren E. (1987). A Complete Introduction to Corydoras and Related Catfishes. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-86622-264-2.
• "Corydoras hastatus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
• Innes, Dr. William T. (1966). Exotic Aquarium Fishes, 19th Edition. Maywood, New Jersey: Metaframe Corporation, Division of Mattel, Inc., page 249.
• Corydoras hastatus (TSN 164287). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 29 June 2006.
• James, Allan (2005-04-14). Corydoras hastatus. www.scotcat.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
• Dwarf corydoras. Mongabay. Retrieved on 2006-06-29.