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Origin:South-America, Ecuador, Pastaza, Rio Conambo, Rio Tigre, and Rio Shione Yacu. Peru, Loreto, Rio Nanay and Rio Ampiyacu.

Etymology: Atropersonatus means black mask.

Synonyms:None

First import:R. Ollala, 1960.

Description:Black mask over the eye, a few larger spots on the body. C.sychri seems to have more smalller spots.

Care:A 60 cm tank with good filtration, especially for newly imported fish the waterquality should be very good, soft and slightly acidic.. If fully used to the environment they are less susceptible to pollution and can be kept in harder water.. Very active fish.

Temperature:20-26

Feeding:Will eat all normal food.

Size:Males 4.0, females 5.0 cm

pH: 6.0-7.0 Hardness: 3-15

Breeding: 60 cm tank, with low waterlevel. After a cold shock the animals will spawn. Very clean water is required by the fish. Chopped earthworms will get them into breeding condition. One female can lay up to a 100 eggs, eggeaters! Eggs will hatch in 3-4 days(at 24 degrees), and the fry will be freeswimming two days later.

Sexual dimorphism:Males are shorter and smaller than the females.

Prices:Netherlands:4-5 Euro for normal fish.

Additional:This is a picture found on the web marked as atropersonatus, but it has so many spots that it could well be a C. sychri.Size of the spots otoh would indicate atropersonatus. Many books show fish with smaller and less spots as atropersonatus.It is better to look at the body shape.(see below).
I have seen both C.sychri and C. atropersonatus. The body shapes are the easiest way to distinguish between the two. One is slender, the other is much thicker(like C.caudimaculatus). The only way to be really sure is to count the number of lateral scutes. Nobody is really sure whether the fish they have is atropersonatus or sychri. Sychri was described from an aquariumspecies from unknown origin, and later they found it occurs in sympatrically with atropersonatus in Rio Nanay. It is possible that all fish present in our tanks are atropersonatus, since sychri is rarely imported. To find C.sychri closely examine wildcaught fish in an aquariumstore, since the fish occur sympatrically(and because of the practises of combining groups of similar fish by exporters) you may find 3 or 4 sychri in a batch of atropersonatus.

Picture references:None

References:Lambourne, D. ((1995): Corydoras catfish, An Aquarist's Handbook. Blandford, London, UK.Hierronimus, H. (1997): Ihr Hobby: Corydoras Pantzerwelse. Bede Verlag, Ruhmannsfelden, Germany.