Brochis is one of the genus-level lineages recognized within the broader Corydoras group of South American armored catfish (family Callichthyidae) following the major molecular revision that split the old, sprawling Corydoras into several narrower genera. The atlas covers 43 species in this lineage, sized from a diminutive 1.5 in up to 3.5 in, all sharing the family's signature bony body armour of overlapping plates rather than scales, downturned barbeled mouths suited to sifting sand and mud for food, and the ability to gulp air at the surface and absorb oxygen through the gut in low-oxygen water. Atlas records concentrate in the Amazon and adjacent river basins, spanning Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, and Paraguay.
The lineage includes some of the aquarium hobby's most familiar bottom-dwellers: the emerald cory (Brochis splendens), historically the type species of the old genus Brochis, is a long-standing community-tank favourite for its iridescent green sheen and peaceful, schooling temperament, and the skunk cory (Corydoras arcuatus) and leopard cory (C. leopardus) are similarly well established in the trade. Corys of this lineage are prized as hardy, social bottom-cleaners that do best in groups, making them a beginner-friendly counterpoint to some of the more demanding catfish elsewhere in the atlas. Conservation status skews favourable — the atlas tally lists 25 of the 43 species as Least Concern — though 10 are Not Evaluated and 8 Data Deficient, a reminder that even well-loved aquarium genera still include species too little studied in the wild to assess.