Sterba's Corydoras Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Stocky, armored body covered in two overlapping rows of bony plates instead of scales
• Blunt, downturned snout with two pairs of sensory barbels used to probe the substrate
• Dark brown to black body densely covered in small, evenly spaced cream or white spots
• Bright orange coloring on the leading edge of the pectoral fins, a signature trait of this species
• Compact size, typically 6-7 cm, with a rounded belly profile typical of Corydoras catfish

Common look-alikes

• False Sterbai (Corydoras similis): has larger, sparser spots and duller, less vivid orange pectoral fin coloring than true Sterba's Corydoras.
• Corydoras haraldschultzi: shows a mottled or marbled pattern rather than fine, dense, uniform spotting across the body.
• Corydoras panda: has bold black eye and tail-fin patches on a pale body, a very different pattern from Sterbai's all-over speckling.

Where you'll see one

This species is native to clear, slow-flowing tributary streams of the upper Rio Guaporé and Rio Paraguai basins along the Brazil-Bolivia border, where it forages in small groups over sandy or gravel substrate.