ID this cory - FULL black/dark brown

[amiidae]

This cory was imported fm Venezuela.

size abt 1.5in

[Silurus]

I think this is the black breeding form of

Corydoras aeneus

.

[amiidae]

Thanks for the input HH.

any second openion ?

here is another side view

[Mike_Noren]

I suppose that'd be the fish known as C. sp. "Black Venezuela"

We've had some discussion on another forum what to really call this fish, and whether it's identical to either the cultivar known as Corydoras (aeneus) schultzei "Black" or the wild-caught fish known as Corydoras (aeneus) venezuelanus "Black", but no real consensus was ever reached, partly because no-one was sure whether C. sp. "Black Venezuela" was actually wild-caught, and if so where.

[Daragh]

Is it just one fish like this or more?

It is not blind by any chance, is it? I have a blind rabuti and it is nearly as dark as that.


Daragh

[apistomaster]

Is it just one fish like this or more?

It is not blind by any chance, is it? I have a blind rabuti and it is nearly as dark as that.


Daragh

I am sure the pictured fish has normal vision as one can be from looking at a photo. It looks like it is in excellent health.
I have seen fish show odd coloration when their eye(s) are damaged but I suspect it often has more to do with greater damage extending to the optic nerve and beyond rather than a perceptual problem directly related to blindness. I have seen a few discus that were otherwise healthy have broad black areas and the consensus was it was related to nerve damage rather than an inherited defect. They also did not have any melanomas. I'm not making a substantial case, I realize, but just sharing some hypothesis that have been put forward to explain some odd areas of dark pigmentation. Hard to not effect the optic nerve in many causes of blindness and it is a direct route to the brain which processes the messages to melanocytes.

[Daragh]

Interesting Larry, I had never thought of it that way. My thinking was that as the fish is blind it does not know what it's surroundings are like and therefore adapts the darkest possible colour it can. Most corys adopt to the colour of the substrate, some more that others, the most extreme I have experiences is C Spectibilis that go almost black on black gravel, whereas on light sand they will be white with black marks and a blue spot!

I should have mentioned in the first post that whatever fish the cory is, it is a choice specimen and looks wonderful .Great photo too.


Daragh

[amiidae]

Thanks for all the inputs.

I was told by the importer that they have imported this fish directly fm Venezuela and this is the one and only stock they have.

I suppose that'd be the fish known as C. sp. "Black Venezuela"

We've had some discussion on another forum what to really call this fish, and whether it's identical to either the cultivar known as Corydoras (aeneus) schultzei "Black" or the wild-caught fish known as Corydoras (aeneus) venezuelanus "Black", but no real consensus was ever reached, partly because no-one was sure whether C. sp. "Black Venezuela" was actually wild-caught, and if so where.

interesting info. Thanks.

[Jools]

I've never been entirely convinced that the black cory you see in the trade (online here as a colour form of

corydoras schultzei

although most scientists still classify that as

Corydoras aeneus

is the same as the black cory from the llanos in Venezuela). I have also yet to see wild caught imports of this strain.

The pictured fish here doesn't seem elongate enough to match

corydoras schultzei

, (just to my inexpert eye, it also seems to have a dark as opposed to light lower flank) and that we know its wc from Venezuela has made me ask Shane again about the Llanos fish. Will report back.


Jools

[grokefish]

That is an awesome photo, I wish I could capture images like that.
I have a male and a female cory. concolor that are as dark as this and similar coloration, but a very different shape, much stubbier and with very pointed and high dorsal fins and more elongate head shape.
Anyway the point I was getting to is that they show very different intensities of colour depending mostly on weather they feel safe or not.

After looking at the picture again the head shape is very similar.

In fact after looking at the pictures of the concolor in the cat-elog I am not at all convinced that mine are concolor at all.

Matt

[Birger Amundsen]

Interesting... newer seen such a black cory before.

[amiidae]

Interesting... newer seen such a black cory before.

huh ?... are you saying that this fish is not the same as your sp black ? (I thought they are the same after I bumped into your breeding thread)

[Birger Amundsen]

Wont say it`s not the same, yours looks just so more black than mine. (might be the light?)

[Coryman]

The one thing I think that is confusing the issue is that the fish appears to be housed over a black base, which will distort the true colour of the fish. I have seen many Corys that have been kept on black substrate and their body colour darkens tremendously, I would like to see another picture of the fish after it has been on a lighter sand or gravel substrate for a couple of days.

Ian

[amiidae]

The one thing I think that is confusing the issue is that the fish appears to be housed over a black base, which will distort the true colour of the fish. I have seen many Corys that have been kept on black substrate and their body colour darkens tremendously, I would like to see another picture of the fish after it has been on a lighter sand or gravel substrate for a couple of days.

Ian

I am mindful that one of the key issue here is the color of the fish.

A few things pertaining to the pix / fish;

1) The fish (pix) in not taken/kept in a dark based tank. Infact, it is in a clear transparent base (floating box under observation).
2) The pix is taken with flash. Hence, this fish will look the same under a bright sun.
3) The color of the fish has not changed fm the day I saw it in the store and also after a few days in my tank.