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his was one of the first Corydoras (now Hoplisoma) that I bred in my early fishkeeping days and didn't realise it until I spotted the fry darting about the tank. Try to get a ratio of two males to one female, but if not, a pair will do. Some varieties have dark flecks on the edges of the bony scutes, while others are devoid of this.

Hoplisoma metae

 

This species can be confused with Hoplisoma davidsandsi and Hoplisoma melini but the revealing factor is the position of the black body stripe on H. metae which runs over the ridge of the back whereas in H. melini it breaks and divides into two over the back and continues to almost the end of the lower lobe of the caudal fin, in other words it shows the body colouration on the ridge of the back, while metae, on the ridge of the back, is black.

The difference between H. metae and H. davidsandsi is that the latter has a broader black band which covers the ridge of the back, whereas metae has a thinner band and has also a thinner black band over its eyes, compared to H. davidsandsi. The latter has also a lighter body colour.

Originates from the white waters of the Rio Metae in Colombia so a higher Ph and not too acidic would suit this species.

 

Hoplisoma metae

Hoplisoma melini

Hoplisoma davidsandsi

 

The above images showing the differences in colour patterns of; H. metae, H. melini, and H. davidsandsi.

An easy enough species to keep and while of no great beauty it does have a pleasing colouration and pattern that even the most discerning aquarist would find appealing. It would probably make a good step-up for the beginning Corydoras keeper from the easier kept species of Osteogaster aeneua and Hoplisoma paleatum.

Update: In 2005 the book Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish by Ian A. M. Fuller and Hans-Georg Evers (2005) was published and at that time little was known about the relationships among different species in the Callichthyidae as a whole and even less was known about the relationships among the Corydoradinae. This was changed in 2011 with the publication of the molecular phylogeny of the group: Evolution, Ecology and Taxonomy of the Corydoradinae revisited: Markos A Alexandrou & Martin I Taylor (2011), which was published in the follow up book in 2011, Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish Supplement 1.

 

Remarks: Corydoras metae is placed in Lineage 9, the "short-snouted" species with the designated type species: C. punctatus. A revision in the future would constitute the resurrection of the genus name Hoplisoma (Agassiz, 1846). As of the latest revision (Dias et al 2024) Corydoras metae has now been placed in Lineage 9 and has the new genus name of Hoplisoma.

Remarks: This species is still found on some online sources as Corydoras metae.

 

Bandit Corydoras

Corydoras metae

Corydoradine

South America: Colombia, South America, in the Rio Metae where the species inherited its name.

Male 4.5cm (1¾ins) Female: 5.0cm (2ins)

22-25°C (71-77°F)

Head short and compact.

Good addition to an average sized community tank. Purchase at least six specimens to form a group.

As per standard Corydoras/Hoplisoma breeding structures. More information in the breeding articles section. Spawning Corydoras metae

Adults can be fed the usual good quality flake food, frozen bloodworm, tablet foods, white and grindal worms.

metae: From the River (Rio) Meta, South America (Colombia).

Alexandrou, Markos & Taylor, Martin. (2011). Evolution, ecology and taxonomy of the Corydoradinae revisited.
Angelica C Dias, Luiz F C Tencatt, Fabio F Roxo, Gabriel de Souza da Costa Silva, Sérgio A Santos, Marcelo R Britto, Martin I Taylor, Claudio Oliveira, Phylogenomic analyses in the complex Neotropical subfamily Corydoradinae (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) with a new classification based on morphological and molecular data, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2024;, zlae053.
Ian A. M. Fuller & Hans-Georg Evers (2011). Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish Supplement 1. Ian Fuller Enterprises.
Seus, Werner, Corydoras. The most popular armoured catfishes of South America. Dähne Verlag, Ettlingen GmbH. 1993 218p.

Photo Credits

© Johnny Jensen @ 
© Allan James @