TAXONOMY Corydoras
CORYDORADINAE unpacked & packed in
After decades of revisions and confusion, just what IS the current state of the subfamily Corydoradinae? Alas, the truth is as muddy as the substrates these catfish live on…
LUIZ TENCATT
Ichthyologist Luiz has dedicated his life to the taxonomic study of the Callichthydae catfish.
Scleromystax, alive and well.
NATHAN HILL
HAVE YOU ever asked yourself: what the heck is a lineage? Exploring what lineages are, and how they affect the taxonomy of fishes, can be daunting, but it’s also a great way to better understand the complexity of our beloved ‘Cory-cats’ and even the evolutionary biology that makes them what they are today.
The early era
To start this journey, let’s go back a little a bit, but only into recent history. We return to what I call the ‘N&I’ era (after the ichthyologists Han Nijssen and Isaac Isbrücker), which started in the 1960’s and lasted right up until the tail end of the 80’s. These guys did so much — we’re talking tons of descriptions and comprehensive reviews in a huge body of work.
At the end of the prodigious N&I era, the Corydoradinae were left in a way that many older aquarists will remember. We had three valid generic names: Aspidoras, Brochis and Corydoras. The recognition of each genera was apparently easy.