Revised 17 Nov. 2024
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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”

Brochis Cope 1871 from bróchos (Gr. βρόχος), loop, referring to barbels at end of maxillary “united by a beard-like looped cord to the symphysis mandibuli, the cord being thus attached at both ends” (per Cope’s 1872 description of B. coeruleus [=splendens])

Brochis 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

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

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

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

Brochis 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

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

Brochis 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”

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

Brochis britskii Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Heraldo A. Britski (b. 1934), Universidade de São Paulo,who brought the species to the authors’ attention and permitted them to describe it

Brochis 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

Brochis condiscipulus (Nijssen & Isbrücker 1980) Latin for schoolmate, referring to its sympatric occurrence with Hoplisoma oiapoquense, with which it shares a color pattern

Brochis 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

Brochis 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 Hoplisoma kanei

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

Brochis 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 [this species] feeding in a tank one easily might think of the sight of sucking porkers” (Isaäc J. H. Isbrücker, pers. comm)

Brochis 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

Brochis 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

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

Brochis 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

Brochis 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

Brochis 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

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

Brochis 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 then included in Corydoras

Brochis imitator (Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983) Latin for mimic, referring to similar color pattern to the sympatric Hoplisoma adolfoi

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

Brochis 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)

Brochis 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

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

Brochis 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

Brochis noelkempffi (Knaack 2004 ) in honor of German-born Bolivian conservation biologist Noel Kempff Mercado (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)

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

Brochis 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

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

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

Brochis pulcher (Isbrücker & Nijssen 1973) Latin for beautiful, referring to its attractive color pattern 

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

Brochis 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

Brochis 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

Brochis seussi (Dinkelmeyer 1996) in honor of German aquarist Werner Seuss, author of a popular reference book on and experienced breeder of cory catfishes

Brochis sodalis (Nijssen & Isbrücker 1986) Latin for companion, referring to its similarity to B. reticulatus

Brochis 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 cory 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 B. haraldschultzi and either Hoplisoma caudimaculatum or Gastrodermus 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)

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

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

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

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

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

Corydoras blochi Nijssen 1971 in honor of German medical doctor and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799), who described Cataphractus punctatus (=Hoplisoma punctatum), then believed to be the type species of Corydoras, in 1794

Corydoras caramater Tencatt, Couto, Santos & Sou-sa 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, respec-tively), 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 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 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 desana Lima & Sazi-ma 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 Hoplisoma tukano

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

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 fulleri Tencatt, Santos, Evers & Brit-to 2021 in honor of British 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 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 genitive “i”]

Corydoras iiap Tencatt, Ruiz-Tafur & Chuctaya 2024 named for Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (IIAP), Loreto, Peru, a “center for the study of the biodiversity of the Peruvian Amazon for over four decades, for its “invaluable work in conducting biodiversity studies and contributing to the scientific basis for conserving one of the most diverse places on the planet”

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 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 sug-gested 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 negro Knaack 2004 named for the Río Negro, Blanco River basin, Bolivia, type locality

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

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 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 simulatus Weitzman & Nijssen 1970 Latin for copied or imitated, similar to Hoplisoma metae

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

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

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

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

Gastrodermus Cope 1878 gastḗr (Gr. γαστήρ), belly; dermus, from dérma (Gr. δέρμα), skin, referring to coracoid bones of G. elegans, unlike other (but not all) presumed former congeners in Corydoras, “not enclosing ventral region, which is covered with soft skin

Gastrodermus 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

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

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

Gastrodermus guapore (Knaack 1961) named for Rio Guaporé, Rondônia, Brazil, type locality

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

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

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

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

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

Gastrodermus 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

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

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

Gastrodermus 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

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

Hoplisoma Swainson 1838 hóplon (Gr. ὅπλον), shield or armor; sṓma (Gr. σῶμα), body, referring to bony plates on sides

Hoplisoma acrense (Nijssen 1972) -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Acre State, Brazil, type locality

Hoplisoma 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”

Hoplisoma albolineatum (Knaack 2004) albus (L.), white; lineatum (L.), lined, referring to bright-white lateral stripe

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

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma araguaiaense (Sands 1990) -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Rio Araguaia, Brazil, type locality

Hoplisoma armatum (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

Hoplisoma atropersonatum (Weitzman & Nijssen 1970) atro, from ater (L.), black; personatum (L.), masked, referring to black mask, or band, over eye

Hoplisoma 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)

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

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma 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)

Hoplisoma 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)

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

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma brevirostre (Fraser-Brunner 1947) brevis (L.), short; rostre, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, described as a subspecies of H. melanistium with a shorter snout

Hoplisoma 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)

Hoplisoma 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)

Hoplisoma caudimaculatum (Rössel 1961) cauda (L.), tail; maculatum (L.), spotted, referring to dark blotch on caudal peduncle

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

Hoplisoma 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

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

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

Hoplisoma coppenamense (Nijssen 1970) -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Coppename River, Suriname, type locality

Hoplisoma cruziense (Knaack 2002) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, type locality

Hoplisoma 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”

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

Hoplisoma duplicareum (Sands 1995) Neo-Latin for double or duplicate, referring to similar color pattern as H. adolfoi

Hoplisoma 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

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

Hoplisoma 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)

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma flaveolum (Ihering 1911) Latin for yellowish, referring to “yellowish” (translation) body color

Hoplisoma 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”

Hoplisoma 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

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

Hoplisoma 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 Brochis arcuatus

Hoplisoma griseum (Holly 1940) Medieval Latin for gray, referring to its uniform grayish color pattern

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma 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

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

Hoplisoma 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 H. hypnos and H. thanatos may present some similarities (in color pattern), they are completely different in other aspects (general morphological pattern)

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

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

Hoplisoma 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 (and related genera)

Hoplisoma lacrimostigmata (Tencatt, Britto & Pavanelli 2014) lacrima (L.), a tear; stigmata (L.), marks or spots, 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

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

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

Hoplisoma loretoense (Nijssen & Isbrücker 1986) -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Loreto, Peru, where it is abundant

Hoplisoma loxozonum (Nijssen & Isbrücker 1983) loxós (Gr. λοξός), slanting; zonus, Neo-Latin adjective of zona (L.), band, referring to dark oblique stripe on body

Hoplisoma 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

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

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

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

Hoplisoma 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)

Hoplisoma microcephalum (Regan 1912) small-headed, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to shorter head compared with H. paleatum

Hoplisoma multimaculatum (Steindachner 1907) multi– (L.), many; maculatum (L.), spotted, referring to numerous spots on head, body and paired fins

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma oiapoquense (Nijssen 1972) -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Oiapoque (or Oyapock) River basin, border between Brazil and French Guiana, where it is endemic

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma osteocarum (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

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

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

Hoplisoma paragua (Knaack 2004) named for Río Paragua, Bolivia, type locality

Hoplisoma parallelum (Burgess 1993) Latin for parallel, referring to parallel horizontal stripes on sides

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma polystictum (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

Hoplisoma potaroense (Myers 1927) -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Potaro River basin, Guyana, where it is endemic

Hoplisoma 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]

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

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma 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

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

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

Hoplisoma simile (Hieronimus 1991) Latin for like or resembling, referring to very similar coloration as C. ourastigma

Hoplisoma sipaliwini (Hoedeman 1965) named for Sipaliwini River at Paru Savannah, Suriname, type locality

Hoplisoma 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)

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

Hoplisoma surinamense (Nijssen 1970) -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Suriname, where it is endemic to the Coppename River system

Hoplisoma 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 H. thanatos and H. hypnos may present some similarities (in color pattern), they are completely different in other aspects (general morphological pattern)

Hoplisoma trilineatum (Cope 1872) tri– (L.), three; lineatum (L.), lined, referring to three stripes (two white, one black) along middle of body

Hoplisoma 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

Hoplisoma 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)

Hoplisoma 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” (and related genera)

Hoplisoma xinguense (Nijssen 1972) -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: upper Río Xingú, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, type locality (also endemic to upper Río Xingú basin)

Osteogaster Cope 1894 ostéon (Gr. ὀστέον), bone; gastḗr (Gr. γαστήρ), belly, referring to coracoid bones of O. eques, which, unlike those of Gastrodermus elegans, enclose ventral region

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

Osteogaster 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)

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

Osteogaster 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”]

Osteogaster 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

Osteogaster 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)

Osteogaster zygata (Eigenmann & Allen 1942) Latinized adjective from zygón (Gr. ζυγόν), yoke, typically used to denote a pair or union, allusion not explained, 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 lacerdai (Hieronimus 1995) in honor of Brazilian aquarist and horticulturist Marco T. C. Lacerda, who collected holotype

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