Article © Julian Dignall, uploaded July 01, 2003.

Life before l-numbers? Did it exist I hear you cry - those of us slightly longer in the tooth will recall when Corydoras alone commanded the high prices, front places on magazine covers and were the talk of the local fish shop. These were exciting times in Corydoras land.

From the late sixties and continuing into the late eighties, literally dozens of new Corydoras species were appearing in shops before, during and after the fish in question were being announced to science. Note the difference with l-numbers here; species appeared more often than not around the same time they were described. I have heard it argued from some quarters that had this not happened then the c-number system would have been born a decade or two early. Perhaps, perhaps not. Back then, the Internet had not yet shrunk the global ornamental fish market and I personally doubt such a system would have had the same sort of effect we see with c and l-numbers over the past decade or so.

In some perverse way a described species appeals to the fish collectors out there very much in the way that l-numbers do these days, because description gives a unique title to the collector's cossetted "pride and joy". If you were a cynic, you might think the l-number system was a shrewd move to market undescribed species in the days before common Internet usage. Cynic or not it worked - for both cases described species and l-numbers. Howver, one marked difference I tend to notice is that Corydoras collectors are willing to buy groups of their fish - not something many, particularly budding, l-number enthusiasts consider. This is perhaps because it is well known that all Corydoras shoal and should be kept in groups (again, a sweeping generalisation that I should temper with those few species where the male Corydoras can become noticeably aggressive) and also that it is commonly held that Corydoras tend to reproduce more easily.

Back to the Cory heyday. Rather than resort to some dull and ultimately predictably lament of the passing of those halcyon days (which would be somewhat inappropriate as most of those fish are still available and we still have all the new l-numbers to contend with too), let's just talk about one of the stars of - what is thought of by some as - a golden age.

For me it all boils down to timing. The fact that aquarists already had some experience in keeping and breeding many of the already available Corydoras and many new species appeared equally easy to keep (peaceful and ready to spawn in captivity) those prepared to make a large outlay could quickly turn a tidy profit from sales to the local fish shops, clubs and societies. This month's catfish, Corydoras sterbai, has all these good things plus one other important factor - it is a stunning fish to look at.

Perhaps the most striking thing about C. sterbai is the sunset orange pectoral fins. They develop these from a young age (unlike some other Callichthyids who only develop them in adult males) and are quite unusual among Corydoras. The real giveaway however is the white spots on the dark brown domed head. Sterba's Cory can attain a good size and proportion for a Corydoras and large adults are impressive fish on their own. A shoal of large adults (an unusual site) is a fantastic sight - the eye catches the bristling mass of orange fin spines as the fish scuttle past.

The fish itself is named after the German aquarist Dr. Günther Sterba. The term aquarist is used fondly as, while the Doctor obviously has a love for fish keeping, he also has a day job as Professor of Zoology at Leipzig University. Within aquarist circles he is known for what are widely regarded among the best aquatic books ever published (Freshwater Fishes of the World, The Aquarium Encyclopaedia and his much loved Aquarium Handbook) are still benchmarks for the rest of us.

It is hard to misidentify this species but it can be confused with Corydoras haraldschultzi, although the latter is a long nosed species where C. sterbai is the dome headed form - the easiest way to tell them apart is that the Sterba's Cory has white spots on its head from eyes down to snout. C. haraldschultzi does not. Corydoras sterbai has recently become available in albino form.

Corydoras sterbai. Note rounded, domed head with white spots.		Corydoras haraldschultzi. Note sloped head leading to pointed snoun covered in black spots.

Copyright information for the images used in this article can be found on the species' full Cat-eLog page.

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	Hoplisoma sterbai  Knaack, 1962
Common Names	Sterba's Cory Sterba's Pansermalle (Denmark), Sterba's Panzerwels (Germany)
Type Locality	Rio Guaporé, Brazil.
Pronunciation	hop lee so mah - ster bye
Etymology	Specifically named in honour of Dr. Günther Sterba.
Articles	- Shane's World Reproduction Breeding Corydoras sterbai
Species Information
Size	68mm or 2.7" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	It is hard to misidentify this species but it can be confused with Corydoras haraldschultzi, although the latter is a long-nosed species where C. sterbai is the dome-headed form - the easiest way to tell them apart is that the Sterba's Cory has white spots on its head from eyes down to snout. C. haraldschultzi does not. Corydoras sterbai has is commercially bred in albino form.
Sexing	Males are smaller and slimmer. Females grow larger and are much wider; most easily observed from above.
General Remarks	In future, this species is likely to turn out to be new, and C. sterbai be a lineage 8 species rarely seen in the trade.
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: central Brazil and Bolivia. Amazon, Middle Amazon (Solimoes), Madeira, Mamoré, Guaporé (Iténez) (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Not Evaluated
pH	6.0 - 7.6
Temperature	24.0-28.0°C or 75.2-82.4°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	One species of Corydoras that does not seem to mind higher temperatures.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Readily accepts a wide variety of frozen and prepared foods in the aquarium. User data.
Furniture	Shade provided by overhanging rock work, arching bogwood, tall or floating plants are all that is required. Ideally substrate should be sand, but rounded gravel will suffice.
Compatibility	Peaceful. Tank raised fish are ideal first catfish for a beginner's community aquarium. Wild caught fish will tend to be more expensive and somewhat less hardy.
Suggested Tankmates	Keep in a shoal of at least 6 individuals ideally with similarly sized tetras and dwarf cichlids. A good species for the discus aquarium.
Breeding	See Shane's World article (link below). Tank-bred specimens that are frequently found in the shops appear relatively easy to breed, where wild-caught specimens are reported to be a bit more difficult.
Breeding Reports	There are 51 breeding reports, read them all here.
Further Information
Reference	Senckenbergiana Biologica v. 43 (no. 2), pp 131, Pl. 12 (figs. 2a-c).
Registered Keepers	There are 774 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 12 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 214 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode
	Search for H. sterbai
	Look up H. sterbai on AquaticRepublic.com
	Look up H. sterbai on Fishbase
	Look up H. sterbai on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up H. sterbai on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.1.1580.316
Last Update	2024 Jun 14 11:53 (species record created: 2003 Jul 01 11:22)

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