Revised 21 March 2024
PDF version (with illustrations and additional information)

Callichthys Scopoli 1777 tautonymous with Silurus callichthys Linnaeus 1758

Callichthys callichthys (Linnaeus 1758) callum (L.), hard skin, referring to two rows of bony plates, or scutes, running down length of body; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

Callichthys fabricioi Román-Valencia, Lehmann A. & Muñoz 1999 in honor of Fabricio Lehmann Gonzalez (1936–2014), self-taught Colombian naturalist and sport fisherman, who enthusiastically supported the authors’ expedition to Popayán

Callichthys oibaensis Ardila Rodríguez 2006 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: the “beautiful town” of Oibita, Departamento de Santander, Colombia, for the “hospitality and warmth of its people” (translation)

Callichthys serralabium Lehmann A. & Reis 2004 serra (L.), saw; labium (L.), lip, referring to serrated free margin of lower lip

Dianema Cope 1871 di– (Gr. prefix), from dýo (δύο), two (the “a” probably added for euphony); nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread, referring to pair of long maxillary barbels [dates to 1871 meeting abstract with brief description and no species mentioned; full description with species published in 1872]

Dianema longibarbis Cope 1872 longus (L.), long; barbis (scientific Neo-Latin), barbel, referring to pair of long maxillary barbels

Dianema urostriatum (Miranda Ribeiro 1912) uro-, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail; striatum (L.), furrowed or grooved (i.e., striped), referring to alternating black and white horizontal stripes on tail [spelled urotriatum in heading of account, but corrected in attached printed errata]

Hoplosternum Gill 1858 hóplon (Gr. ὅπλον), shield or armor; sternum, from stérnon (Gr. στέρνον), breast or chest, referring to prominent coracoid bones on breast

Hoplosternum littorale (Hancock 1828) Latin for pertaining to the shore, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its nest-making behavior, as described by Hancock, on beds of submerged grass, presumably along the shoreline

Hoplosternum magdalenae Eigenmann 1913 of the Río Magdalena basin, Colombia, type locality

Hoplosternum punctatum Meek & Hildebrand 1916 Latin for spotted, referring to small, roundish black spots on entire body (except upper surface of head and dorsal region) and on dorsal- and caudal-fin rays

Lepthoplosternum Reis 1997 leptós (Gr. λεπτός), fine or thin (Reis says small and delicate), presumably referring to smaller size compared with Hoplosternum (known in the aquarium trade as “dwarf hoplos”)

Lepthoplosternum altamazonicum Reis 1997 –ica (L.), belonging to: altus (L.), high, referring to the upper Amazon River of Peru, where it is endemic

Lepthoplosternum beni Reis 1997 named for the Beni region of Bolivia, where it is endemic

Lepthoplosternum pectorale (Boulenger 1895) Latin for pectoral, referring to its larger pectoral plates compared with Megalechis thoracata, its presumed congener at the time

Lepthoplosternum stellatum Reis & Kaefer 2005 Latin for studded with stars, referring to small dark-brown, roundish dots covering entire body

Lepthoplosternum tordilho Reis 1997 regional Brazilian name for horse color pattern consisting of a light brownish or grayish background with many small darker spots, like the color pattern of this catfish

Lepthoplosternum ucamara Reis & Kaefer 2005 named for Project Ucamara, funded by the U.S. National Sciences Foundation, conducted in Peru (1999–2004), and for the geological term “Ucamara depression,” describing the low-lying reaches of the Ucayali and Marañon rivers caused by subsidence in the Upper Amazon foreland basin, where this catfish occurs

Megalechis Reis 1997 mégas (Gr. μέγας), large; lechis, from lekís (Gr. λεκίς) or lékos (λέκος) dish, pot or pan (Reis says plate), referring to extreme development of coracoids on breast of fully developed males

Megalechis picta (Müller & Troschel 1849) Latin for painted or colored, described as having black flecks on chest and abdomen and a few dark spots on sides

Megalechis thoracata (Valenciennes 1840) Latin for armed with a breastplate or corselet, referring to extreme development of coracoids on breast (of fully developed males only, a distinction of which Valenciennes was probably unaware)

Aspidoras Ihering 1907 aspís (Gr. ἀσπίς), shield; doras, probably an abridgement of Corydoras, referring to two pairs of nuchal plates between the occipital and base of dorsal fin, compared to just one nuchal plate in the “apparently closely related” Corydoras

Aspidoras albater Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976 albus (L.), white; ater (L.), black, referring to solid black or dark-brown blotches on pale tan body

Aspidoras aldebaran Tencatt, Britto, Isbrücker & Pavanelli 2022 named for the red giant Aldebaran or Alpha Tauri, the brightest star of the Taurus constellation, presenting a bright orange glow positioned at the left eye of the mythological bull, referring to the fact that this catfish was “promptly recognized as a different and new species by its peculiar morphology and color pattern”

Aspidoras azaghal Tencatt, Muriel-Cunha, Zuanon, Ferreira & Britto 2020 named for Azaghâl, king of the Broadbeam Dwarves in Tolkien’s Middle Earth legendarium, referring to Terra do Meio (Pará, Brazil, type locality), freely translated as “Middle Earth” in English, and to the fact that this catfish occurs in a mountainous region and reaches a relatively small size, both of which are typical features of Tolkien’s fictional dwarves

Aspidoras belenos Britto 1998 from the Celtic mythological deity Belenos, whose name means “the one who is shining,” referring to iridescent color in life

Aspidoras brunneus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976 Medieval Latin for brown, referring to dark-brown color pattern

Aspidoras carvalhoi Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976 in honor of Brazilian herpetologist Antenor Leitão de Carvalho (1910–1985), Chefe do Departamento de Vertebrados of the Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, who lent the authors many Aspidoras specimens from his museum

Aspidoras depinnai Britto 2000 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Mário C. C. de Pinna, Universidade de São Paulo, who discovered this species, for numerous contributions to ichthyology, primarily in the study of catfishes

Aspidoras fuscoguttatus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976 fuscus (L.), dusky, dark or swarthy; guttatus (L.), dappled, speckled or spotted, referring to dark-brown markings of various sizes on body

Aspidoras gabrieli Wosiacki, Graças Pereira & Reis 2014 in honor of the first author’s son Gabriel, “as an encouragement of his growing interest in zoology”

Aspidoras kiriri Oliveira, Zanata, Tencatt & Britto 2017 named for the Kiriri Indians, who originally inhabited a broad area in eastern Brazil but nowadays are mainly restricted to the municipality of Banzaê, in northern Bahia, where this catfish occurs

Aspidoras lakoi Miranda Ribeiro 1949 in honor of Carlos (Károly) Lako (1895–1960), Hungarian-born taxidermist at Museu Nacional (National Museum of Brazil), who collected holotype

Aspidoras maculosus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976 Latin for speckled, referring to eye-sized spots along middle of body

Aspidoras mephisto Tencatt & Bichuette 2017 shortened name of Mephistopheles, demon from German folklore, referring to its subterranean behavior (the first troglobitic species known from the family)

Aspidoras poecilus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976 from poikílos (Gr. ποικίλος), varicolored or mottled, referring to its color pattern

Aspidoras psammatides Britto, Lima & Santos 2005 named for Psamathos Psamathides, the sand sorcerer, a character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novella “Roverandom” (written in 1925, published in 1998), from psámmos (Gr. ψάμμος), sand, and -ídēs (Gr. -ίδης), son of, referring to its sand-dwelling behavior [see also Corydoras psamathos]

Aspidoras raimundi (Steindachner 1907) patronym not identified, perhaps, as suggested by Nijssen & Isbrücker (1976), a Brazilian associate of Steindachner; another possibility: Raimund Banowsky (d. 1885), a contemporary of Steindachner at the Zoological and Botanical Society of Vienna

Aspidoras rochai Ihering 1907 in honor of Portuguese biologist Francisco Dias da Rocha (1869–1960), who “offered” holotype

Aspidoras velites Britto, Lima & Moreira 2002 plural of veles, light-armed troops of the Roman army, who usually began a battle hurling javelins and then retreated among the ranks of the heavy infantry as the struggle advanced, alluding to its “relatively delicate complexion”

Corydoras Lacepède 1803 cory, from kórys (Gr. κόρυς), helmet, referring to large plates covering head; dorás (Gr. δοράς), animal hide or skin, but said by Lacepède to mean cuirass (or breastplate), which were originally made of leather, referring to bony plates on sides

Corydoras acrensis Nijssen 1972 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Acre State, Brazil, type locality

Corydoras acutus Cope 1872 Latin for sharp or pointed, referring to its pointed or sharp snout

Corydoras adolfoi Burgess 1982 in honor of aquarium-fish collector and exporter Adolfo Schwartz, Turkys Aquarium (Manaus, Brazil), who has been “a great help to TFH Publications in securing rare, interesting and unknown fishes”

Corydoras aeneus (Gill 1858) Latin for of bronze, the head and dorso-lateral plates a “deep bronze” color

Corydoras agassizii Steindachner 1876 in honor of Swiss-born American zoologist-geologist Louis Agassiz (1807–1873), who led the Thayer Expedition (1865/66) to Brazil, which provided Steindachner with many specimens to study

Corydoras albolineatus Knaack 2004 albus (L.), white; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to bright-white lateral stripe

Corydoras amandajanea Sands 1995 in honor of Sands’ wife Amanda Jane, for “unending help and assistance” during his research

Corydoras amapaensis Nijssen 1972 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Amapá State, Brazil, type locality

Corydoras ambiacus Cope 1872 –acus (L.), belonging to: Río Ambyiacu, Peru, type locality

Corydoras amphibelus Cope 1872 etymology not explained, perhaps amphí– (Gr. ἁμφί), on both sides or double; belus, from belḗs (Gr. βελής), pointed, possibly referring to “very long” dorsal- and anal-fin spines

Corydoras apiaka Espíndola, Spencer, Rocha & Britto 2014 named for the indigenous tribe Apiaká (means “people” in Tupí language), which originally occupied the middle and lower rio Arinos (Mato Grosso State, Brazil), where this catfish occurs; this tribe is known for facial tattoos, bravery in battles, and anthropophagic rites after fights

Corydoras approuaguensis Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Approuague River, French Guiana, type locality

Corydoras araguaiaensis Sands 1990 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Rio Araguaia, Brazil, type locality

Corydoras arcuatus Elwin 1938 Latin for bowed or arched, referring to distinctive dark band extending in an arc through eye to lower edge of caudal fin

Corydoras areio Knaack 2000 named for the Córrego Areio system of streams, Mato Grosso, Brazil, type locality

Corydoras armatus (Günther 1868) Latin for armed with a weapon, referring to finely serrated dorsal-fin spine, as high as the body, and stronger (but shorter) pectoral-fin spine

Corydoras atropersonatus Weitzman & Nijssen 1970 atro, from ater (L.), black; personatus (L.), masked, referring to black mask, or band, over eye

Corydoras aurofrenatus Eigenmann & Kennedy 1903 aureus (L.), golden; frenatus (L.), bridled, presumably referring to broad yellow band across snout

Corydoras axelrodi Rössel 1962 in honor of American aquarist and pet-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod (1927–2017), who helped collect type series and sent it to the Senckenberg Museum (Frankfurt, Germany)

Corydoras baderi Geisler 1969 in honor of Herbert Bader (Hannover, Germany), “superb aquarist and travel companion” (translation)

Corydoras benattii Espíndola, Tencatt, Pupo, Villa-Verde & Britto 2018 in honor of the late Laert Benatti, for his humanitarian work, providing fresh water from artesian wells to poor communities in Brazil

Corydoras bethanae Bentley, Grant & Tencatt 2021 in honor of Bethan Grant, daughter of the second author, “who, like her brother, has battled health issues all her life”

Corydoras bicolor Nijssen & Isbrücker 1967 bi-, from bis (L.), twice, of two colors, referring to body and head consisting of two main colors (presumably yellowish brown general color and dark brown patch situated beneath dorsal fin and dark mask around eyes)

Corydoras bifasciatus Nijssen 1972 bi-, from bis (L.) twice; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to two longitudinal stripes on sides

Corydoras bilineatus Knaack 2002 bi-, from bis (L.) twice; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to two whitish stripes appearing between areas of black pigment on males and breeding females

Corydoras blochi Nijssen 1971 in honor of German medical doctor and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799), who described the type species of the genus, C. punctatus, in 1794

Corydoras boehlkei Nijssen & Isbrücker 1982 in memory of American ichthyologist James E. Böhlke (1930–1982), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, colleague and friend, who helped collect holotype in 1977 and recognized it as a new species (but died before he had a chance to describe it)

Corydoras boesemani Nijssen & Isbrücker 1967 in honor of Dutch ichthyologist Marinus Boeseman (1916–2006), who collected holotype

Corydoras bondi Gosline 1940 in honor of American biologist Franklyn F. Bond (1897–1946), University of Rochester (Rochester, New York, USA), who collected holotype while researching mosquito-control fishes in Venezuela

Corydoras breei Isbrücker & Nijssen 1992 in honor of marine mammalogist Peter Jan Hendrik van Bree (1927–2011), University of Amsterdam, on the occasion of his retirement

Corydoras brevirostris Fraser-Brunner 1947 brevis (L.), short; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, described as a subspecies of C. melanistius with a shorter snout

Corydoras britskii (Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983) in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Heraldo A. Britski, Universidade de São Paulo,who brought the species to the authors’ attention and permitted them to describe it

Corydoras brittoi Tencatt & Ohara 2016 in honor of Marcelo Ribeiro de Britto (b. 1974), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, “dear friend and mentor,” for his extensive contributions to the taxonomy and systematics of the Corydoradinae

Corydoras burgessi Axelrod 1987 in honor of American ichthyologist Warren E. Burgess, for contributions to the study of catfishes, particularly Corydoras (Burgess worked for Axelrod at T.F.H. Publications)

Corydoras caramater Tencatt, Couto, Santos & Sousa 2024 combination of cara (L.), dear or beloved, and mater (L.), mother, “a small tribute to these strong women, who work hard and are still responsible, often alone, for tenderly raising their children”; the name especially honors Miriam Tencatt and Jéssica Mendonça (mother and wife of Tencatt, respectively), Ireide da Silva Pinto (mother of Couto), Vanda Santos (in memoriam) and Roberta Murta-Fonseca (mother and wife of Santos, respectively), and Edina Melo de Sousa (mother of Sousa), “but extends to all caring mothers around the world”

Corydoras carlae Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983 in honor of Carla Lindenaar-Sparrius, in charge of administrative duties for 11 years at the Zoölogisch Museum (Amsterdam) Department of Ichthyology (where the authors were curators of fishes)

Corydoras caudimaculatus Rössel 1961 cauda (L.), tail; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to dark blotch on caudal peduncle

Corydoras cervinus Rössel 1962 Latin for deer, presumably referring to deer-brown (“hirschbraun”) coloration in alcohol of upper body plates (compared to yellow-brown coloration of lower body plates)

Corydoras cochui Myers & Weitzman 1954 in honor of German-born tropical-fish importer Ferdinand (Fred) Cochu, Paramount Aquarium (New York City, USA), who collected holotype

Corydoras colossus Tencatt, Grant & Bentley 2023 kolossós (Gr. κολοσσός), a gigantic statue (but applied to anything of enormous size), referring to the relatively large, robust, armored body of this species

Corydoras concolor Weitzman 1961 Latin for colored uniformly, referring to pale tan body color in alcohol (living color not known at time of description)

Corydoras condiscipulus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1980 Latin for schoolmate, referring to its sympatric occurrence with C. oiapoquensis, with which it shares a color pattern

Corydoras copei Nijssen & Isbrücker 1986 in honor of American zoologist-paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope (1840–1897), who described C. acutus, C. ambiacus, C. amphibelus and C. trilineatus, all, like this species, from Peru

Corydoras coppenamensis Nijssen 1970 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Coppename River, Suriname, type locality

Corydoras coriatae Burgess 1997 in honor of Nery Coriat, “supplier of aquarium fishes from Peru who has worked for the past 25 years in the Peruvian fish business and has contributed a great deal to the industry”

Corydoras cortesi Castro 1987 in honor of Abdon Cortés Lombana, Director, Escuela de Postgrado, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, for his “invaluable” contribution to soil sciences of Colombia

Corydoras costai Ottoni, Barbosa & Katz 2016 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Wilson J. E. M. Costa (b. 1958), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, who first collected and reported this species as new in 1999

Corydoras crimmeni Grant 1997 in honor of Oliver Crimmen (b. 1954), fish curator, Natural History Museum (London), for his “extensive support, advice and assistance” in the descriptions of this species and C. kanei

Corydoras cruziensis Knaack 2002 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, type locality

Corydoras crypticus Sands 1995 Latin for hidden or secret, referring to its cryptic coloration, similar to the sympatric C. bicolor, an example of “cryptic pigment pattern-sharing by twin-species”

Corydoras davidsandsi Black 1987 in honor of English aquarist and amateur Corydoras taxonomist David Sands (b. 1951), for his “underestimated contribution to the popularisation of catfishes”

Corydoras delphax Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983 délphax (Gr. δέλφαξ), mother pig or piglet (depending on the source; authors select the latter), referring to its feeding behavior: “watching a healthy group of C. delphax feeding in a tank one easily might think of the sight of sucking porkers” (Isaäc J. H. Isbrücker, pers. comm)

Corydoras desana Lima & Sazima 2017 named for the Desana, an ethnic group who inhabits the rio Tiquié basin (where this catfish occurs); the Desana are closely related linguistically and culturally to the Tukano Indians of the same basin, therefore name is also an allusion to the resemblance between the mimic pair C. desana and C. tukano

Corydoras deweyeri Meinken 1957 in honor of Marcel Van de Weyer, owner and founder of Aquaria-Antwerp, an aquarium-fish importer and retailer, who provided holotype

Corydoras difluviatilis Britto & Castro 2002 di– (Gr. prefix), from dýo (δύο), two; fluviatilis, Latin for “of a river,” referring to its occurrence in two major drainage basins (Paraná and São Francisco) in Brazil

Corydoras diphyes Axenrot & Kullander 2003 diphyḗs (Gr. διφυής), double nature, referring to its unique color pattern, striped in some specimens and blotchy in others

Corydoras duplicareus Sands 1995 Neo-Latin for double or duplicate, referring to similar color pattern as C. adolfoi

Corydoras ehrhardti Steindachner 1910 patronym not identified, possibly in honor of Wilhelm Ehrhardt (1860–ca. 1936), German animal collector and taxidermist, who supplied several museums with zoological specimens from Brazil, including presumably types of this catfish

Corydoras elegans Steindachner 1876 Latin for elegant, fine or select, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its coloration

Corydoras ellisae Gosline 1940 in honor of Marion Durbin Ellis (1887–1972), Indiana University, who reported this species as C. flaveolus in 1913

Corydoras ephippifer Nijssen 1972 ephippium (L.), saddle; –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to distinctive dark, saddle-like marking on upper body

Corydoras eques Steindachner 1876 Latin for horseman or rider, allusion not explained, possibly referring to oblique saddle-like orange band behind eyes running between base of pectoral fins and over the head (Steindachner used this name for three characiforms with saddle-like markings: Abramites eques, Nannostomus eques, Hyphessobrycon eques)

Corydoras esperanzae Castro 1987 in honor of Castro’s wife Esperanza Rocha, for her help during the “elaboration” of his paper on Colombian Corydoras

Corydoras evelynae Rössel 1963 matronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Evelyn Axelrod, wife of American aquarist, pet-book publisher, and collector of holotype Herbert R. Axelrod (1927–2017)

Corydoras eversi Tencatt & Britto 2016 in honor of German aquarist Hans-Georg Evers (b. 1964), “a dear friend and great enthusiast in the fishkeeping hobby, especially in the breeding of Corydoras species,” who collected holotype and specimens that apparently originated all the stock present in the hobby

Corydoras filamentosus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983 Latin for filamentous, referring to its extremely long dorsal-fin filament

Corydoras flaveolus Ihering 1911 Latin for yellowish, referring to “yellowish” (translation) body color

Corydoras fowleri Böhlke 1950 in honor of American ichthyologist Henry Weed Fowler (1878–1965), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, for his contributions to South American freshwater ichthyology

Corydoras froehlichi Tencatt, Britto & Pavanelli 2016 in honor and memory of Brazilian zoologist Otávio Froehlich (1958–2015), Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, “great teacher, mentor and dear friend, for generously sharing his knowledge with several colleagues [and] contributing to the development of [the first author] as researcher and person”

Corydoras fulleri Tencatt, Santos, Evers & Britto 2021 in honor of Britih aquarist Ian A. M. Fuller, who has “devoted most of his life” to keeping and breeding Corydoradinae species; he runs the “Corydoras World” website and Facebook page and administrates the CW-coding process for undetermined species

Corydoras garbei Ihering 1911 in honor of German-born Brazilian zoologist Ernesto Garbe (1853–1925), who collected specimens for the Museu Paulista, University of São Paulo, including presumably holotype of this species

Corydoras geoffroy Lacepède 1803 in honor of colleague Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1772–1844), French naturalist, “who has earned the gratitude of all who cultivate natural history through his observations of the various animals of Egypt, particularly the fishes of the Nile” (translation) [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Corydoras geryi Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983 in honor of French physician and ichthyologist Jacques Géry (1917–2007), for his many contributions to the ichthyology of the freshwater fishes of South America

Corydoras gladysae Calviño & Alonso 2010 in honor of ichthyologist Gladys Ana María Monasterio de Gonzo, for contributions to the diversity, distribution and biology of fishes in the Salta province of Argentina; she was also the first collector of this species

Corydoras gomezi Castro 1986 in honor of Juan A. Gómez, Director, Centro de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, for his “permanent support” of Castro’s project on the freshwater fishes of Colombia

Corydoras gossei Nijssen 1972 in honor of Jean-Pierre Gosse (1924–2001), curator of vertebrates, Institut Royal des Sciences Naturalles de Belgique, who collected holotype

Corydoras gracilis Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976 Latin for thin or slender, referring to its body shape

Corydoras granti Tencatt, Lima & Britto 2019 in honor of Steven Grant, British aquarist and amateur ichthyologist, who was the first to recognize this species as distinct from the similar C. arcuatus

Corydoras griseus Holly 1940 Medieval Latin for gray, referring to its uniform grayish color pattern

Corydoras gryphus Tencatt, Britto & Pavanelli 2014 Latin for griffon, a mythical creature with a lion’s head and body and the wings of a hawk or eagle, referring to conspicuous wing-like elongation of pectoral-fin spine and its first branched ray in males

Corydoras guapore Knaack 1961 named for Rio Guaporé, Rondônia, Brazil, type locality

Corydoras guianensis Nijssen 1970 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: the Guiana countries (e.g., French Guiana and Dutch Guiana, also known as Suriname), where it occurs

Corydoras habrosus Weitzman 1960 from habrós (Gr. ἁβρῶς), delicate or dainty, probably referring to its size (35 mm), considered one of the “pygmy” species of Corydoras

Corydoras haraldschultzi Knaack 1962 in honor of Brazilian ethnographer and fish collector Harald Schultz (1909–1966), who collected holotype

Corydoras hastatus Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1888 Latin for armed with a spear, presumably referring to “arrow-shaped spot” on caudal peduncle

Corydoras hephaestus Ohara, Tencatt & Britto 2016 named for Hephaestus Greek god of fire, metalworking, forges and blacksmiths, referring to red color of body and fins

Corydoras heteromorphus Nijssen 1970 héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different; morphus, from morphḗ (Gr. μορφή), form or shape, referring to several characters that are intermediate between blunt- and long-snouted groups in the genus

Corydoras hypnos Tencatt, Ohara, Sousa & Britto 2022 named for Hypnos, Greek god or personification of sleep, and the twin brother of Thanotos, the god/personification of death, alluding to the fact that even though C. hypnos and C. thanatos and may present some similarities (in color pattern), they are completely different in other aspects (general morphological pattern)

Corydoras imitator Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983 Latin for mimic, referring to similar color pattern to the sympatric C. adolfoi

Corydoras incolicana Burgess 1993 incola (L.), inhabitant or resident; icana, from Rio Içana, Upper Rio Negro drainage, Brazil, type locality

Corydoras isbrueckeri Knaack 2004 in honor of Dutch ichthyologist Isaäc J. H. Isbrücker (b. 1944), on the occasion of his 60th birthday, for building and maintaining the fish collection at Zoölogisch Museum Amsterdam, and for his many publications on the taxonomy of catfishes (Callichthyidae, Loricariidae)

Corydoras julii Steindachner 1906 patronym not identified, possibly Julius Michaelis, who provided Steindachner (and Günther) with fishes from Brazil

Corydoras kanei Grant 1998 in honor of Grant’s son Kane, “who has and still is suffering much due to ill health”

Corydoras knaacki Tencatt & Evers 2016 in honor of Joachim Knaack (1933–2012), German physician, amateur ichthyologist and aquarist, who devoted more than 60 years of his life to the study of South American catfishes, especially Corydoras

Corydoras lacerdai Hieronimus 1995 in honor of Brazilian aquarist and horticulturist Marco T. C. Lacerda, who collected holotype

Corydoras lacrimostigmata Tencatt, Britto & Pavanelli 2014 lacrima (L.), a tear; stigmata (L.), marks or spots, from the Greek stígma (στίγμα) or stigmḗ (στιγμή), referring to diffuse dark stripe between corner of mouth and anterior margin of orbit and the drop-shaped dark blotch on posterior portion of infraorbital 1, which resemble tears

Corydoras lamberti Nijssen & Isbrücker 1986 in honor of Lambertus van Tuijl (1944–2012), a technician at the Zoölogisch Museum (Amsterdam) Department of Ichthyology (where the authors were curators of fishes), since February 1971

Corydoras latus Pearson 1924 Latin for broad or wide, allusion not explained nor evident, perhaps referring to its deep body

Corydoras leopardus Myers 1933 Latin for leopard, referring to leopard-like pattern of small black spots on body, head and snout

Corydoras leucomelas Eigenmann & Allen 1942 leuco-, from leukós (Gr. λευκός), white; mélas (Gr. μέλας), black, presumably referring to blackish spots on whitish body

Corydoras longipinnis Knaack 2007 longus (L.), long; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, referring to elongated dorsal and pectoral fins in males

Corydoras loretoensis Nijssen & Isbrücker 1986 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Loreto, Peru, where it is abundant

Corydoras loxozonus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983 loxós (Gr. λοξός), slanting; zonus, unnecessary masculinization of zona (L.), band, referring to dark oblique stripe on body

Corydoras lymnades Tencatt, Vera-Alcaraz, Britto & Pavanelli 2013 named for Limnádes (Gr. Λιμνάδες), small freshwater nymphs in Greek mythology derived from goblins that can see the bottom of a man’s soul and take the form of his most beloved person, referring to its close resemblance in color (but not in size) to the larger C. garbei

Corydoras maclurei Tencatt, Gomes & Evers 2023 in honor of Robert “Rob” McLure, “dear friend and renowned Corydoradinae breeder,” who has been the “main English-language reviewer of the first author’s publications, in addition to providing valuable information and live photos of several species of Corydoradinae” [note Latinization of “Mc” to “Mac”]

Corydoras maculifer Nijssen & Isbrücker 1971 macula (L.), spot; –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to horizontal rows of spots on body

Corydoras mamore Knaack 2002 named for the Río Mamoré system, Bolivia, where it appears to be endemic

Corydoras melanistius Regan 1912 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; histion (Gr. ἱστίον), sail (i.e., dorsal fin), referring to blackish dorsal fin

Corydoras melanotaenia Regan 1912 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; taenia, from tainía (Gr. ταινία), band or ribbon, referring to broad blackish lateral band

Corydoras melini Lönnberg & Rendahl 1930 in honor of Swedish herpetologist Douglas Melin (1895–1946), who collected holotype

Corydoras metae Eigenmann 1914 of the Río Meta, Colombia, type locality (also endemic to the Río Meta basin)

Corydoras micracanthus Regan 1912 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; acanthus, (L.), from ákantha (Gr. ἄκανθα), thorn, presumably referring to dorsal-fin spine, ½ length of head (compared with several species covered in same publication with spine as long as or longer than head)

Corydoras microcephalus Regan 1912 small-headed, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to shorter head compared to C. paleatus

Corydoras multimaculatus Steindachner 1907 multi– (L.), many; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to numerous spots on head, body and paired fins

Corydoras multiradiatus (Orcés V. 1960) multi– (L.), many; radiatus (L.), rayed, referring to “exceptional[l]y high” number of dorsal-fin rays (up to 18) for a callichthyid

Corydoras nanus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1967 Latin for a dwarf, the smallest species of the genus (then known) in the Guianas

Corydoras napoensis Nijssen & Isbrücker 1986 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Napo, Ecuador, type locality

Corydoras narcissus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1980 named for Narkissos, son of Greek river god Kephissus, who fell in love with his reflection in the water, ironically honoring “those who recently collected undescribed Corydoras species and kindly suggested new names [presumably their own] for them”; collecting party included American aquarist and pet-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod (1927–2017), German ornamental-fish wholesaler and supplier Heiko Bleher (b. 1944), and French physician and ichthyologist Jacques Géry (1917–2007)

Corydoras nattereri Steindachner 1876 in honor of Austrian naturalist Johann Natterer (1787–1843), who explored South America and collected specimens for 18 years, including holotype of this species

Corydoras negro Knaack 2004 named for the Río Negro, Blanco River basin, Bolivia, type locality

Corydoras nijsseni Sands 1989 in honor of Dutch ichthyologist and Corydoras expert Han Nijssen (1935–2013), University of Amsterdam, who encouraged Sands in his “early and later ignorance” and wrote the introduction to Sands’ first book

Corydoras noelkempffi Knaack 2004 in honor of German-born Bolivian conservation biologist Noel Kempff Mercardo (1924–1986); his efforts to protect 750,000 hectares of biologically rich and geologically significant land in Bolivia led to his murder by drug traffickers (two years later, the land became Noel Kempff Mercado National Park)

Corydoras oiapoquensis Nijssen 1972 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Oiapoque (or Oyapock) River basin, border between Brazil and French Guiana, where it is endemic

Corydoras ornatus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1976 Latin for splendid dress or fine attire (authors says handsome or splendid), referring to the “beautiful appearance” of its “most attractive” color pattern

Corydoras orphnopterus Weitzman & Nijssen 1970 dark-finned, from orphnós (Gr. ὀρφνός), dark or dusky, and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to dark blotch on dorsal fin

Corydoras ortegai Britto, Lima & Hidalgo 2007 in honor of Peruvian ichthyologist Hernán Ortega Torres, curator of fishes, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidade Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Lima, Peru), for his “deep interest” in the freshwater fishes of Peru and his contributions to our knowledge of their diversity

Corydoras osteocarus Böhlke 1951 bone-headed, from ostéon (Gr. ὀστέον), bone, and kára (Gr. κάρα), head, allusion not explained, presumably referring to large plates that cover head of all Corydoras species

Corydoras ourastigma Nijssen 1972 ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail; stígma (Gr. στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to prominent spot in front of caudal peduncle

Corydoras oxyrhynchus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1967 sharp-snouted, from oxýs (Gr. ὀξύς), sharp, and rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to “remarkably” long snout

Corydoras paleatus (Jenyns 1842) Latin for mixed with chaff, referring to “dusky spots and mottlings” on body

Corydoras panda Nijssen & Isbrücker 1971 referring to its color pattern, which resembles that of the Giant Panda of China

Corydoras pantanalensis Knaack 2001 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Pantanal, a wetland area in Bolivia and Brazil, where it is endemic

Corydoras paragua Knaack 2004 named for Río Paragua, Bolivia, type locality

Corydoras parallelus Burgess 1993 Latin for parallel, referring to parallel horizontal stripes on sides

Corydoras pastazensis Weitzman 1963 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Pastaza Province, Ecuador, type locality

Corydoras paucerna Knaack 2004 named for Río Paucerna, Bolivia, where it was first collected (not to be confused with Río Paragua, the type locality)

Corydoras pauciradiatus Weitzman & Nijssen 1970 paucus (L.), few; radiatus (L.), rayed, referring to six soft dorsal-fin rays compared with seven in congeners

Corydoras pavanelliae Tencatt & Ohara 2016 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Carla Simone Pavanelli (b. 1967), Universidade Estadual de Maringá, advisor of the first author and “dear friend,” for her extensive contributions to the knowledge of the ecology and taxonomy of Neotropical fishes

Corydoras petracinii Calviño & Alonso 2010 in honor of Argentine aquarist Roberto Petracini (1941–2016), for contributions to the development, knowledge and diffusion of the fishkeeping hobby in Argentina and South (and Central) America

Corydoras pinheiroi Dinkelmeyer 1995 in honor of Mario Pinheiro, manager of Trop Rio, an aquarium-fish exporter in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who provided holotype

Corydoras polystictus Regan 1912 many-spotted, from polý– (Gr. πολύ), many, and stiktós (Gr. στικτός), marked or spotted, referring to longitudinal series of small dark spots on sides of body and on rays of dorsal fin

Corydoras potaroensis Myers 1927 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Potaro River basin, Guyana, where it is endemic

Corydoras psamathos Tencatt, Ohara, Sousa & Britto 2022 named for Psamathos Psamathides, the sand sorcerer, a character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novella “Roverandom” (written in 1925, published in 1998), from psámmos (Gr. ψάμμος), sand, referring to the sand-dwelling behavior of this species [see also Aspidoras psammatides]

Corydoras pulcher Isbrücker & Nijssen 1973 Latin for beautiful, referring to its attractive color pattern

Corydoras punctatus (Bloch 1794) Latin for spotted, referring to small black spots all over head and body

Corydoras pygmaeus Knaack 1966 Latin for dwarfish, referring to small size, up to 23.7 mm in nature and up to 32.0 mm (females) in the aquarium

Corydoras rabauti La Monte 1941 in honor of explorer and natural history collector Auguste Rabaut, who collected holotype (he is more famously known as the discoverer of the Neon Tetra Paracheirodon innesi)

Corydoras reticulatus Fraser-Brunner 1938 Latin for net-like or netted, referring to “gold reticulations of dark brown” on upper half of body

Corydoras reynoldsi Myers & Weitzman 1960 in honor of Col. John N. Reynolds (1912–1987), United States Air Force, “an ardent aquarist and a fine fish collector,” who helped collect holotype

Corydoras rikbaktsa Lima & Britto 2020 named for the Rikbaktsa (also known as Rikbakta or Erikbaktsa), a Jê-speaking Indian nation who formerly inhabited the area between the rio Juruena and rio Aripuanã in northern Mato Grosso, Brazil, where this catfish occurs

Corydoras robineae Burgess 1983 in honor of Robine Schwartz, mother of aquarium-fish collector and exporter Adolfo Schwartz, Turkys Aquarium (Manaus, Brazil), who supplied type and asked that his mother be honored with the name

Corydoras robustus Nijssen & Isbrücker 1980 Latin for of oak or oaken and, by extension, hard, firm or solid (but often used by ichthyologists to mean fat or stout), referring to its dimensions

Corydoras sanchesi Nijssen & Isbrücker 1967 in honor of Gijsbert Harry Sanches (1919–?), formerly Commissioner of Brokopondo District, for his “valuable assistance” during Martin Boeseman’s survey of fishes in Suriname

Corydoras saramaccensis Nijssen 1970 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Saramacca River, Suriname, type locality

Corydoras sarareensis Dinkelmeyer 1995 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Rio Sararé, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, type locality

Corydoras schwartzi Rössel 1963 in honor of Hans-Willi Schwartz (1909–1981), aquarium-fish exporter in Manaus, Brazil, who helped collect holotype

Corydoras semiaquilus Weitzman 1964 semi-, from semis (L.), half; aquilus (L.), dark-colored or swarthy, referring to dark color on upper body scutes

Corydoras septentrionalis Gosline 1940 Latin for northern, referring to its distribution in northern Venezuela

Corydoras serratus Sands 1995 Latin for toothed like a saw, referring to “distinctively serrated or toothed” pectoral-fin spines

Corydoras seussi Dinkelmeyer 1996 in honor of German aquarist Werner Seuss, author of a popular reference book on and experienced breeder of Corydoras

Corydoras similis Hieronimus 1991 Latin for like or resembling, referring to very similar coloration as C. ourastigma

Corydoras simulatus Weitzman & Nijssen 1970 Latin for copied or imitated, similar to C. metae

Corydoras sipaliwini Hoedeman 1965 named for Sipaliwini River at Paru Savannah, Suriname, type locality

Corydoras sodalis Nijssen & Isbrücker 1986 Latin for companion, referring to its similarity to C. reticulatus

Corydoras solox Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983 Latin for coarse, harsh or bristly, referring to rough pectoral-fin spine of males

Corydoras spectabilis Knaack 1999 Latin for notable or remarkable, referring to its “spectacular discovery, capture and other circumstances” (translation), although Joachim Knaack (1933–2012) did not explain what they were; according to fellow Corydoras aquarist Erik Schiller (pers. comm.), who discussed this species with Knaack, the name refers to the author’s surprise and delight in finding several specimens one year when in an earlier year he had found only one, which he suspected was a hybrid between C. haraldschultzi and either C. caudimaculatus or C. guapore (note: many hobbyist references state that the name refers to the fish’s “showy” or spectacular appearance, but Knaack’s own explanation, albeit vague, does not support this interpretation)

Corydoras spilurus Norman 1926 spot-tailed, from spílos (Gr. σπίλος), mark or spot, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to series of small spots on tail

Corydoras splendens (Castelnau 1855) Latin for bright, shining or splendid, referring to its “beautiful golden green” coloration with burgundy fins (translation)

Corydoras steindachneri Isbrücker & Nijssen 1973 in honor of Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834–1919), for his many contributions to ichthyology; he also described several Corydoras species new to science (1877–1910)

Corydoras stenocephalus Eigenmann & Allen 1942 narrow-headed, from sténos (Gr. στένος), narrow, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, perhaps referring to its “greatly prolonged” snout

Corydoras sterbai Knaack 1962 in honor of Czech-born aquarist and zoologist Günther Sterba (1922–2021), University of Leipzig

Corydoras surinamensis Nijssen 1970 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Suriname, where it is endemic to the Coppename River system

Corydoras sychri Weitzman 1960 in honor of aquarist Al Sychr (rhymes with biker) of Hayward, California, who provided Weitzman with many species of Corydoras, including holotype of this one

Corydoras thanatos Tencatt, Ohara, Sousa & Britto 2022 named for Thanotos, Greek god or personification of death, and the twin brother of Hypnos, the god/personification of sleep, alluding to the fact that even though C. thanatos and C. hypnos may present some similarities (in color pattern), they are completely different in other aspects (general morphological pattern)

Corydoras treitlii Steindachner 1906 patronym not identified, probably in honor of Josef Treitl (1804–1895), Austrian bank and hospital director who bequeathed a large sum of money to the Austrian Academy of Sciences, where Steindachner worked

Corydoras trilineatus Cope 1872 tri– (L.), three; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to three stripes (two white, one black) along middle of body

Corydoras tukano Britto & Lima 2003 named for the Tukano, an Amerindian group from the rio Negro and Japurá/Caquetá basins in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela; the known range of this catfish is entirely within Tukano territory in Brazil

Corydoras undulatus Regan 1912 Latin for wavy, referring to “dark purplish spots tending to run together, forming undulating longitudinal bands”

Corydoras urucu Britto, Wosiacki & Montag 2009 named for the Rio Urucu basin, Rio Solimões system, Brazil, type locality (from the Tupí uru-ku, meaning red, derived from the fruit color of the urucuzeiro, Bixa orellana, family Bixacea, native to tropical South America)

Corydoras virginiae Burgess 1993 in honor of Virginia Schwartz, wife of aquarium-fish exporter Adolfo Schwartz (who collected holotype), International Fisheries, Inc. (Hialeah, Florida, USA)

Corydoras vittatus Nijssen 1971 Latin for banded, referring to dark stripe along posterior portion of body

Corydoras weitzmani Nijssen 1971 in honor of American ichthyologist Stanley H. Weitzman (1927–2017), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), “who has had a long and continuing interest in the genus Corydoras”

Corydoras xinguensis Nijssen 1972 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: upper Río Xingú, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, type locality (also endemic to upper Río Xingú basin)

Corydoras zawadzkii Tencatt & Ohara 2016 in honor of Cláudio Henrique Zawadzki, Universidade Estadual de Maringá (Paraná, Brazil), for “comprehensive” contributions to the knowledge of Neotropical fishes, especially of the Loricariidae; in addition, he is a “dear friend” who directly participated in the professional development of the senior author

Corydoras zygatus Eigenmann & Allen 1942 etymology not explained, perhaps derived from zugón (Gr. ζυγόν), yoke, typically used to denote a pair or union, perhaps referring to contacting humeral plates in larger specimens

Scleromystax Günther 1864 sclero-, from sklērós (Gr. σκληρός), tough or hard; mýstax (Gr. μύσταξ), moustache, referring to beard-like odontodes on cheeks of sexually active males of S. barbatus

Scleromystax barbatus (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) Latin for bearded, referring to beard-like odontodes on cheeks of sexually active males

Scleromystax macropterus (Regan 1913) big-finned, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin referring to very long pectoral fin, extending to origin of anal fin

Scleromystax prionotos (Nijssen & Isbrücker 1980) prīonōtós (Gr. πριονωτός), jagged or serrated, referring to strongly serrate medial border of pectoral-fin spine

Scleromystax reisi Britto, Fukakusa & Malabarba 2016 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Roberto E. Reis, Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, for his many contributions to neotropical ichthyology, including studies of callichthyid fishes

Scleromystax salmacis Britto & Reis 2005 named for a character in Ovid’s “The Fountain of Salmacis,” about a nymph named Salmacis whose body intertwined and merged into one with that of her lover, Hermaphroditus, consisting of one pair of arms, one set of legs, one head and one face but was both male and female at the same time, referring to “very subtle” sexual dimorphism compared to congeners

Scleromystax virgulatus (Nijssen & Isbrücker 1980) Latin for striped, referring to distinctive three-lined color pattern