Did you know fantastic help is an anagram of Planet Catfish? This forum is for those of you with pictures of your catfish who are looking for help identifying them. There are many here to help and a firm ID is the first step towards keeping your catfish in the best conditions.
They actially look a little more like C. venezuelanus which is still at this time concidered by science as a variation of C. aeneus, scientific comparisons will need to be to verify the species.
No, I was not refering to the "green line" aeneus and I didn't think Jorge was either, for that matter. But a totally green fish like a miniture Brochis splendins. I have 7 colour variants of C aeneus and there are at least two others that I have seen in other collections.
The "bronze" cory imported from Aisian breeders is more a slate grey body with a few green highlights in the gills etc. Then there is the albino, black, "green line", "gold/orange line", "red line", the Venezuelan variant which has a rusty redish blush on the head and dark rusty brown single fins, the green variant ( the originals of my line of 'greens' were purchased off a ship in Brisbane port in 1956 and were soposed to have come from Trinidad).
And one that I'm not over sure of that is slate grey above the lateral line only with a white blelly.
Seeing as we source ourfish from Asia and Euoipe here (very little comes from America direct) the fish in Jorge's pic may well be the commercial C aeneus over there but it is a very different fish from our commercial bronze.
This is what I think you have.
The green metallic sheen can vary according to mood and conditions, this fish had just been caught and was a little distressed.
In truth and until science clarifies it, the fish in question should be titled, Corydoras aeneus sp. venezuelanus. It is only grouped in with C. aeneus as a convenience by science without enough work being done to determine its true place.
I along with others some ichthyologists included, are convinced that it is a true species in its own right. Firstly it only grows to 2/3 the size of the Trinidad C. aeneus. Secondly the body and head shape is totally different.
I have a picture of a true C. aeneus from the type locality in Trinidad but for copyright reasons I cannot as yet show it on the web.
Jorge, do you have any more pictures, I would be interested in other views of the fish
I along with others some ichthyologists included, are convinced that it is a true species in its own right. Firstly it only grows to 2/3 the size of the Trinidad C. aeneus. Secondly the body and head shape is totally different.
This is what made me think it was not venezuelanus, they look different somehow to mine?
I think we need a better side to view to be sure.