Aspidoras

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 = 2015 | month = April}}

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|author=Britto, M.R.|volume=2000|doi=10.1643/0045-8511(2000)000[1048:adscan]2.0.co;2|s2cid=54754393 }} 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. They are all small species. A. taurus is exceptional in that it just surpasses 5 cm in length.

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 |author=Britto, M.R. |journal=Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia |volume=153 |pages=119–154 |date=2003 |doi=10.1635/0097-3157(2003)153[0119:potsch]2.0.co;2 |s2cid=85655845 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928020843/http://acd.ufrj.br/ppgzoo/orientadores/dados/Artigos%20Brito/Phylogeny%20Corydoradinae%20%28Britto%29.pdf |archive-date=2007-09-28 }}

There are currently 18 recognized species in this genus:{{cite journal |last1=Tencatt |first1=Luiz Fernando Caserta |last2=Britto |first2=Marcelo R. |last3=Isbrücker |first3=Isaäc Jan Hendrik |last4=Pavanelli |first4=Carla Simone |title=Taxonomy of the armored catfish genus Aspidoras (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) revisited, with the description of a new species |journal=Neotropical Ichthyology |language=en |doi=10.1590/1982-0224-2022-0040 |date=14 October 2022|volume=20 |issue=3 |s2cid=252980979 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Dias |first1=Angelica C. |last2=Tencatt |first2=Luiz F C. |last3=Roxo |first3=Fabio F. |last4=Silva |first4=Gabriel de Souza da Costa |last5=Santos |first5=Sérgio A. |last6=Britto |first6=Marcelo R. |last7=Taylor |first7=Martin I. |last8=Oliveira |first8=Claudio |year=2024 |title=Phylogenomic analyses in the complex Neotropical subfamily Corydoradinae (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) with a new classification based on morphological and molecular data |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae053 }}{{Cof genus |genus=Aspidoras |access-date=18 February 2025}}

• Aspidoras albater Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976{{cite journal |last1=Nijssen |first1=H |last2=Isbrücker |first2=IJH |title=The South American plated catfish genus Aspidoras R. von Ihering, 1907, with descriptions of nine new species from Brazil (Pices, Siluriformes, Callichthyidae) |journal=Bijdr. Dierkd. |date=1976 |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=107–31|doi=10.1163/26660644-04601006 |doi-access=free }} (False macropterus)
• Aspidoras aldebaran Tencatt, M. R. Britto, Isbrücker & Pavanelli, 2022
• Aspidoras azaghal Tencatt, Muriel-Cunha, Zuanon, Ferreira & Britto, 2020{{cite journal |last1=Tencatt |first1=Luiz F. C. |last2=Muriel-Cunha |first2=Janice |last3=Zuanon |first3=Jansen |last4=Ferreira |first4=Marlon F. C. |last5=Britto |first5=Marcelo R. |title=A journey through the Amazon Middle Earth reveals Aspidoras azaghal (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae), a new species of armoured catfish from the rio Xingu basin, Brazil |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfb.14467 |journal=Journal of Fish Biology |access-date=9 February 2023 |pages=1072–1086 |language=en |doi=10.1111/jfb.14467 |date=October 2020|volume=97 |issue=4 |pmid=32672364 |bibcode=2020JFBio..97.1072T |s2cid=220584976 |url-access=subscription }}
• Aspidoras belenos M. R. Britto, 1998{{cite journal |last1=Britto |first1=MR |title=Two new species of the genus Aspidoras (Siluriformes : Callichthyidae) from Central Brazil |journal=Ichthyol Explor Freshw |date=1998 |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=359–68}}
• Aspidoras brunneus Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
• Aspidoras carvalhoi Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
• Aspidoras depinnai M. R. Britto, 2000{{cite journal |last1=Britto |first1=Marcelo R. |title=Aspidoras depinnai (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae): A New Species from Northeastern Brazil |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1448015 |journal=Copeia |pages=1048–1055 |date=2000|volume=2000 |issue=4 |doi=10.1643/0045-8511(2000)000[1048:ADSCAN]2.0.CO;2 |jstor=1448015 |s2cid=54754393 |url-access=subscription }}
• Aspidoras fuscoguttatus Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
• Aspidoras gabrieli Wosiacki, T. G. Pereira & R. E. dos Reis, 2014{{cite journal |author1=Wosiacki W.B. |author2=Pereira T.d.G. |author3=Reis R.E. | year = 2014 | title = Description of a New Species of Aspidoras (Siluriformes, Callichthyidae) from the Serra dos Carajás, Lower Tocantins River Basin, Brazil | journal = Copeia | volume = 2014 | issue = 2| pages = 309–316 | doi=10.1643/ci-13-091|s2cid=84670754 }}
• Aspidoras kiriri Oliveira, Zanata, Tencatt & M. R. Britto{{cite journal |last1=Oliveira |first1=Lívia M. A. |last2=Zanata |first2=Angela M. |last3=Tencatt |first3=Luiz F. C. |last4=Britto |first4=Marcelo R. |title=A new species of Aspidoras (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) from a small coastal drainage in northeastern Brazil |journal=Neotropical Ichthyology |language=en |doi=10.1590/1982-0224-20160118 |date=30 March 2017|volume=15 |doi-access=free }}
• Aspidoras lakoi P. Miranda-Ribeiro, 1949{{cite journal |last1=Miranda-Ribeiro |first1=P |title=Duas novas espécies de peixes na coleção ictiológica do Museu Nacional (Pisces, Callichthyidae et Pygidiidae) |journal=Rev Bras Biol |date=1949 |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=143–45}}
• Aspidoras maculosus Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
• Aspidoras mephisto Tencatt & Bichuette, 2017Caserta Tencatt; L.F.; and M. Elina Bichuette (2017). Aspidoras mephisto, new species: The first troglobitic Callichthyidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes) from South America. PLoS ONE 12(3): e0171309.
• Aspidoras poecilus Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
• Aspidoras psammatides M. R. Britto, F. C. T. Lima & A. C. A. Santos, 2005{{cite journal |last1=Britto |first1=Marcelo R. |last2=Lima |first2=Flávio C. T. |last3=Santos |first3=Alexandre C. A. |title=A new Aspidoras (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) from rio Paraguaçu basin, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil |journal=Neotropical Ichthyology |pages=473–479 |language=en |doi=10.1590/S1679-62252005000400004 |date=December 2005|volume=3 |issue=4 |doi-access=free }}
• Aspidoras raimundi Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976
• Aspidoras rochai R. Ihering, 1907{{cite journal |last1=Ihering |first1=R |title=Diversas espécies novas de peixes nemathognathas do Brasil |journal=Notas Preliminares. Rev Mus Paul |date=1907 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=13–39}}
• Aspidoras velites M. R. Britto, F. C. T. Lima & C. L. R. Moreira, 2002{{cite journal |last1=Britto |first1=MR |last2=Lima |first2=FCT |last3=Moreira |first3=CR |title=Aspidoras velites, a new catfish from the upper Rio Araguaia basin, Brazil (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) |journal=Proc Biol Soc Wash |date=2002 |volume=115 |issue=4 |pages=727–36 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35519098 |access-date=9 February 2023}}

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|author=Lima, F.C.T.|author2=Britto, M.R.|name-list-style=amp|volume=2001|doi=10.1643/0045-8511(2001)001[1010:ncotga]2.0.co;2|s2cid=86690111 }} The species of Aspidoras are distributed in eastern and central Brazil.{{cite web|url=http://www.tolweb.org/Aspidoras/15342|title=Aspidoras|author=Reis, R.E.|date=1997|publisher=Tree of Life Web Project}} Most species are narrowly endemic, occurring in restricted areas of some major river drainages: A. fuscoguttatus and A. lakoi from the Paraná River system. A. albater, A. eurycephalus and A. gabrieli from the Tocantins River system. A. brunneus, A. marianae and A. microgalaeus from the Xingu River system. A. belenos, A. pauciradiatus and A. velites from Araguaia River system. 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. A. spilotus from the Acaráu River. A. poecilus from the Xingu River, Araguaia River, and Tocantins River systems. A. psammatides from the Paraguaçu River. A. virgulatus from the coastal rivers in Espírito Santo. 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.

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.

{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q136190}}

Category:Callichthyidae

Category:Taxa named by Rodolpho von Ihering

Category:Fish of South America

Category:Catfish genera

Category:Freshwater fish genera