True or False Julii?

[hdbikersbabe]

This cory was sold to me as a Julii but after some research I'm not so sure it is not a false Julii. Any help would be great.

[bekateen]

From the photo I see a reticulated pattern on the head, not dots. This is a

Corydoras trilineatus

.
Not Julii, but still a nice cory.
Cheers, Eric

[hdbikersbabe]

Thanks. I was hoping someone would know. I sure didn't. Obviously they didn't either lol

[syno321]

This misidentification has been happening consistently through the industry for a long time now. I think that the last time I saw a true julii was before that guy who runs corydorasworld needed glasses.

[dpm1]

I've been lucky enough to have kept both Julii and Trilineatus and they are a devil to separate at times.

Unfortunately Julii aren't quite 100% spots with Tris being 100% reticulated - natures not that kind with cory id - but its pretty much a dead cert if the spots combine to form more than a mere smattering of V shapes, or if the lines do not break down completely across the head in to spots then it's a Tri. (Its a minefield, however as you are unlikely to see anything but fully reticulated patterned Trilineatus its usually a moot point)

Should you ever have the chance to see groups side-by-side (or a definite odd-one-out fish) there are also subtle differences in head shape, however as cory individuals are variable anyway this really does need more than a handful of fish to see with any clarity.

As noted tho, True Julii are indeed a rare sight and in the average shop its almost certainly a mislabeling, although I did have success correcting one shop thanks to discussions of temp ranges with PCs profiles as 'expert proof'.

I have only seen Julii twice in one shop but having bought a handful they soon disappeared never to return. Conversely I seen Trilineatus on a regular basis
.....
Sadly I lost my Julii, and a number of other fish, thanks to a neighbour going nuts with an air freshener in a shared hallway - I was not a very happy person that week....especially as they had not long started to lay eggs...

[Karsten S.]

Hi,

so then, what do you think is this one ?!
Corydoras julii or trilineatus ?

Cheers,

[bekateen]

If I saw that fish in a store, I'd think it was trilineatus. But this is probably a trick question - do we know where this fish came from originally?

[dpm1]

I too would initially say Trilineatus, however the angle is very low and without seeing the top of the head at roughly the area nose to eyes then its impossible to say with certainty.

[syno321]

trilineatus

[Karsten S.]

Hi all,

the origin of the cory in my last post is north-eastern Brazil...
This was just to give an example that the pattern can be very misleading with these two species, it is more or less impossible to tell based on pictures alone.
However, I don't want to contradict to the opinion that the corys in the first picture most probably are C. trilineatus.

Cheers,

[dpm1]

Unfortunately the majority of the shops have even less chance of knowing their fishes origin than they have of labeling them correctly, in fact if you can get the name of their wholesaler then you've probably had to bride or brainwash them

[hdbikersbabe]

One thing is for sure I love learning. There are so many people out there that either were misled themselves or just don't care. I love all my fish and I don't have the hobby to make money. Although money is good lol but I like to know where the fish are from and what I'm getting exactly.

Thank you all for helping me. I greatly appreciate each and every one of you.