Details
Corydoras paleatus
The peppered corydoras is a small South American catfish of shallow freshwater. It moves over the bottom in groups and searches with sensitive barbels.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It inhabits creeks, wetlands, and grassy freshwater in the Neotropics. Sandy or muddy shallows with plants are common habitat.
Length 5-7 cm; weight 5 g-15 g. A stocky body is covered with bony plates, and barbels frame the mouth. Gray-brown mottling camouflages it against the bottom.
Diurnal and loosely schooling, it patrols the substrate. It sometimes rises to the surface to gulp air for supplemental respiration.
An omnivore, it eats small bottom invertebrates, detritus, and sunken plant matter. It roots through sand for fine food.
Females place small batches of eggs on plants or firm surfaces. Parental care is limited, and fry grow near the bottom.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
