PlanetCatfish.com

All,

This is my first posting, so I am hoping this is the right location to be asking these questions. If it is not the right place for discussing this, please take no offense, and direct me to where I should be!

I am having trouble finding any information about this fish. I see some pictures on a Japanese website devoted to Cories, but little else. Has anyone kept these/spawned these before, that can relate a little info. about them for me?

What I am being told is that they were described in 1974 from preserved specimens and that no one had actually seen them in alive. (?) Some fish apparently made it to Japan recently for them to have photos, but I know next to nothing else about them. They are beautiful! and mysterious and expensive, and I am hoping someone here can "illuminate me" about this fish.

Thanks in advance,

I think Corydoras weitzmaniis an extremely hard to come by species for academic research, let alone the aquarium hobby trade. It's rarity stems from the fact that it is a species found high altitudes of 3350 m above sea-level in Rio Vilcanota, Cuzco in Peru. As such, they are a cool, acidic water species (16-22 C) and pH 4.2 (Seuss 1997). The fish was first described by Nijssen in 1971. It's preserved holotype I presume to be kept at ZMA.

This rare species recently made its way to Japan from a collection expedition trip to the type locality. This was featured in the Japanese aquarium publication, Aqualife Feb 2005 (N0. 307) issue.

How much was the price in Japan? I remember that Corydoras reynoldsi "long nose" did cost at wholesaler Glaser 400? a piece.So these must cost way up that.

All,

Thanks for your quick reply. I am planning a trip to S.Peru later this year to collect Rivulus (I'm mainly a Killie-guy), with the idea of visiting this area around Cuzco. The Photos I've seen of this fish show a real Knockout, and so I was thinking I would make an effort to go find these. Do you suppose there'd be much interest in these fish amongst Catfish fanciers should I succeed in getting them here? I imagine any fish with it's range limited to the area immediately around a city like Cuzco that is experiencing rapid growth, would also be at some risk of loss due to habitat degradation???

Thanks for your comments.

C. weitzmani has been offered in the UK but the import cost is excessively high and would make the retail price something in the region of £300 each. I have been known to pay high for desired fish but these are definitely not for me at that price.


picture courtesy Yutaka Yamamoto

The type locality in the original description is incorrect, it is believed the location was in fact the the village where the species collector lived and not the location for the species, which is probably the best kept secret in Peru right now.

Ian