Corydoras julii

Corydoras julii (also known as the julii cory or leopard catfish[1]) is a small freshwater catfish native to eastern Brazil. It is often confused with Corydoras trilineatus.[2]

Corydoras julii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Callichthyidae
Genus: Corydoras
Species:
C. julii
Binomial name
Corydoras julii

In the aquarium

Corydoras julii are small peaceful fish. As they are shoaling fish,[3] they are kept in groups. They are rarely available commercially; fish labelled as "julii corys" are often misidentified, being C. leopardus, or three-stripe ("false julii") cory catfish (C. trilineatus).[4]

Physical appearance

Their skin is a whitish-gray, almost transparent color with fine black spotting all over. A more common species, C. trilineatus, which is frequently mis-sold as C. julii, tends to have larger, joined-up spots (reticulations). Distinguishing C. julii from the more commonly available C. trilineatus without locality information can however be difficult, as some C. trilineatus can show the spotted head pattern traditionally associated solely with C. julii. C. julii appears also to have a shorter horizontal mid body stripe not reaching half way along the body.[5]

They grow to less than 2.5 inches long,[6] making them one of the smaller members of their family.

Feeding

Corydoras julii, like almost all Corydoras species, are bottom-feeding scavengers. Their diet consists primarily of small invertebrates which they sift from the substrate, expelling the particles of sand and sediment through their gill openings. In aquaria, they can be fed sinking pellets rich in insect and other invertebrate proteins, as well as live or frozen foods such as bloodworms, tubifex, and California blackworms (Lumbriculus variegatus). Although they will often consume sinking algae wafers, these are not considered to be nutritionally appropriate.

Breeding

Sexing corys is not difficult provided they are well fed and in good conditions. Females are larger and rounder than males. Usually, cory catfish are bred in groups of two males to one female. They can also be bred in a large school.

The fish will spawn after sexual maturity, during a storm. During this storm, the fish eat increased amounts of insects. The water gradually decreases temperature over the course of a few days .

Corydoras fish spawn in an unusual position. They make a sort of "T formation", as most experts report; the female fish, enticed by the male, swims up to the male's abdomen. She will eat the sperm released by the male fish. The sperm rapidly travels though the female's body and fertilizes the eggs . The female then lays eggs into her pelvic fins. After mating, the female will place the eggs on a surface and repeat this process.

Corys are egg laying fish and will lay small, white, sticky eggs on all surfaces in the aquarium, often on the glass itself. Females lay many eggs at a time though, the catfish will eat most of the eggs unless removed.

References
  1. "Corydoras julii summary page". FishBase. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
  2. https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=508
  3. "Corydoras julii • Callichthyidae • Cat-eLog - PlanetCatfish.com". www.planetcatfish.com. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
  4. "Corydoras julii • Callichthyidae • Cat-eLog - PlanetCatfish.com". www.planetcatfish.com. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
  5. "Corydoras(ln9) julii • Callichthyidae • Cat-eLog". PlanetCatfish. 2020-10-22. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  6. "Corydoras julii • Callichthyidae • Cat-eLog - PlanetCatfish.com". www.planetcatfish.com. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
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