Pterygoplichthys pardalis • Loricariidae • Cat-eLog • PlanetCatfish

Close-up of mouth
Close-up of head
Sub-adult
Dorsal view from above water
Dorsal view
Frontal view
Alien / exotic captured in Thailand
Albino
Albino
Albino
Close-up of mouth
Close-up of head

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Pterygoplichthys pardalis** (Castlenau, 1855)
Common Name(s)	Albino Pleco, Common Pleco, Janitor Fish, L021, L023, Pleco
Type Locality	Amazon
Synonym(s)	Hypostomus pardalis, Liposarcus jeanesianus, Liposarcus pardalis, Liposarcus varius
Pronunciation	terry gop LICK thees - par dah liss
Etymology	Greek, pterygion, diminutive of pteryx = wing, fin + Greek, hoplon = weapon + Greek, ichthys = fish.
Species Information
Size	350mm (13.8") SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Pterygoplichthys can be identified by the number of rays in the dorsal fin. More than 10 indicates that it's a Pterygoplichthys. Most other plecos have 8 or fewer rays (in particular the larger Hypostomus species that are most likely to be confused with Pterygoplichthys). Is also L023. A relatively nondescript species that is unlikely to be imported as an L number. An amelanistic form has also been fixed by US and SE Asian commercial fish farms and is commonly sold as the "chocolate pleco." As they are bred in huge numbers by commercial fish farms, this is currently the most commonly available loricariid and can be found for sale in nearly all the larger chain-type pet stores. This species is most likely to be confused with P. disjunctivus. The pattern on the abdomen is the most useful external key: P. pardalis has a spotted pattern, where P. disjunctivus has a vermiculated pattern. For more info see: Zootaxa 1109: 57?68 (2006)
Sexing	Comparison of the genital papilla in mature fish shows the differences in the sexes to the trained eye. In males this is a small yet thick stump which noticeably protrudes from the fish's undercarriage. In females it is less obvious and is recessed or lies flat with the body.
General Remarks	It is important to note that the term "common pleco" is applied to several nondescript loricariid species, especially of the genera Pterygoplichthys and Hypostomus.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Widespread in the amazon river system. Amazon (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there)
pH	6.0 - 7.5
Temperature	21.0-26.0°C or 69.8-78.8°F (Show others within this range)
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Omnivorous and a good algae eater, especially when young.
Furniture	Larger fish will unwittingly uproot plants. Large plastic or ceramic pipes are best for hiding places.
Compatibility	Peaceful as far as large plecos go.
Suggested Tankmates	Almost any medium sized community fish.
Breeding	Commercially bred in outdoor ponds in both the U.S. and Far East.
Further Information
References	Ann. Wien. Mus. Naturges.v. 1 (no. 1) - pp25
Registered Keepers	(1) xingumike, (2) daniel60, (3) Sktchy, (4) dewitt_discus, (5) Trident2004, (6) deter00005, (7) jenny, (8) Travis_Conklin, (9) Noesis, (10) Foster9011 (k: 2), who also notes: "I have almost always kept a common pleco in my Amazon tank. I've kept commons with Oscars for almost 10 years. These fish get large and need a 75 gallon or large aquarium. For those of you with 10 gallon aquariums, look for some of the ancistrus species or clown plecos that don't get too big for your tank.", (11) mikelouth, (12) chrismarkham1982, (13) call_apple (k: 2), (14) Topaztas, (15) Demon_fish (p: 5), (16) slikjim, (17) ani-mal-lvr (k: 3), (18) FuglyDragon, (19) MatsP, who also notes: ""Inherited" a mature specimen from "friend of a friend" who was getting rid of the tank - along with a dozen Malawi Cichlids.", (20) fishie650, (21) ElectricYellowPlecostomus, (22) vernonlarge, (23) HylaChristine, (24) Brian W C (k: 2), who also notes: "Both Currently 1.5" long", (25) Chi-Chi (p: 2), (26) BK, (27) artemis1 (p: 2), (28) dr_evil_01, who also notes: "Albino Variety", (29) killerklown (p: 2), (30) Kjlossman, (31) gixir, (32) Belial, (33) Osiris, (34) matthi22004, (35) zvirus, (36) Benjamin (k: 3), (37) unkaface, (38) DutchFry, (39) holing007 (k: 2), (40) Landlubber, (41) Gopherboy, (42) Snowy (p: 3, k: 13), who also notes: "Gold Spot Pleco (Australian common name) ", "Common Pleco ", (43) Plecofanatic1989 (k: 2), (44) GoGoCactus, (45) darkwolf29a, (46) Colin Keightley, (47) obik101, (48) zenyfish, (49) janev, (50) silentskream, who also notes: "Grow very quickly in the right environment. Ours was only 2 inches long when we got it.. now nearly a foot and a half. Very interesting now that he's larger we can see the very fine spiny exterior. Absolutely Fascinating to watch!", (51) Tribble, (52) Kara, (53) Serian, (54) steelhead99, (55) brettjurgens, (56) onyx_rose7145, (57) jordant (k: 2), (58) Jeox, (59) gmer4life (p: 2, k: 3), who also notes: "albino. its one of my favorite plecos", (60) jb92 (k: 4), (61) Troender, (62) Cdn Glenwood (p: 2), (63) Loracidlover, (64) vriesea (k: 3), who also notes: "Bought 3 at same time placed 2 in my pond. Excellent at removing algae from pond. Place in aquarium during cold weather. Pond versions are 3 - 4 times bigger than version keep in aquarium.", (65) Plunt, (66) astroaquaria, (67) wardcorp (k: 2), (68) joe.juice13, (69) aledk85 (k: 2), who also notes: "1 common 1 albino", (70) Mariea, (71) pureplecs, (72) pressureflip, (73) JayC, (74) toehead11183, (75) abradley (p: 2, k: 3), (76) theshiner72, (77) Violence, (78) Jeff12, (79) zedogz (p: 21), (80) ranmasan, who also notes: ""chocolate/albino" form -- moved to Indoor Pond #2 on 11-08-08. Bio load too much for tanks to handle: bacterial septicemia in tank. Quarentined, treated & donated to LFS once recovered.", (81) Complecs, (82) cathje (p: 2, k: 4), (83) NHL (k: 3), (84) shawntraviss, (85) speedy231278, (86) Gayle, (87) doesdavid (k: 5), (88) Shovelnose (k: 3), (89) junaid, (90) Marguarretthe, (91) stratofish, (92) Rafael_BR, (93) Khalid (p: 2), (94) chralis, (95) Tracey, (96) Patches, (97) ray_c, (98) pmbooper (k: 2), who also notes: "6 inch pleco in 200 gal.-10 inch pleco in 1000 gal.", (99) Arherp, (100) Deano089, (101) vman, (102) andy.cole94, (103) royaldragoness, who also notes: "Albino Version ", (104) phenix, (105) andywoolloo, (106) sabwitch, (107) carolynkline (p: 2), (108) he that is i (k: 2), who also notes: "Both are albino ", (109) anglerfishuk, (110) chemma, (111) BigMu, (112) drgold, (113) nomuken (k: 3), (114) liam..essex, (115) Dacian, (116) judeblackburn, (117) theonetruepath (k: 2), who also notes: "Bought as a 'Golden pleco', Aquotix Albino version", (118) djinn75, (119) Joanne, (120) TheSmurfinator, (121) Hoyo12, (122) saphphx, (123) Greggyfest (k: 4), (124) raymond, (125) kaleidoskope (k: 2), who also notes: "1 chocolate albino, 1 ivory albino (with brown rings around the eyes).", (126) stuart henson, (127) Gibbiceps, (128) chrisinha (p: 2), (129) KittyKat, (130) drpleco, (131) LowClassCC, (132) Void (k: 2), (133) oli (k: 3), (134) Nichof, (135) Irish Goliath, (136) Ullopincrate, (137) errichello5, (138) dpk2313, (139) fishpimpin, (140) sampster5000, (141) warrior_wolf73, (142) Armyngmike1982, (143) smitty (p: 2, k: 2), who also notes: "Originally kept in 180gal tank. Moved to 150gal tank on 9/14/2010. Returned to 180gal Aquarium on 5/06/2011 due to heavy brown algae growth on.", (144) sterlingtjones, (145) Astrea, (146) kungfuteacher, (147) cichlidman16yearsold (k: 30), (148) amirbabak1979, (149) Ozcattie, (150) wimmels, (151) otgarza, (152) marinebalaji, (153) tiffanyjayne, (154) knockout, (155) FunkyFredFrog, (156) jenniebean, (157) Sciencehero, (158) Dan101 (p: 2), (159) kemozabi, (160) fishermandan (k: 2), (161) Plecfan_82, (162) glenny, who also notes: "My oldest catfish.", (163) bluestbluedog, (164) tropicalfishlover, (165) Mezel, (166) oldman60, (167) Ecrevince (k: 2), (168) Sam, (169) Hitch, (170) ElTofi, who also notes: "September 2011 : Saved this skinny one from a 300 liters where it was starving... after 2 days, it begins to eat and slightly swim... very softly... eventually, it will survive... April 2012 : it has survived... it's thriving... 37 cm TL and very healthy...", (171) Duster1971, (172) Hapahound1971, (173) Seagirt (k: 2), who also notes: "They don't bother anyone, not even the koi.", (174) xakkan, (175) araceae, (176) duequattro (p: 2), (177) minipol (p: 2), (178) Kataterfish, (179) wendy333 (p: 2), (180) bigamefish, (181) clydeboy, (182) MrGT500, (183) Catfish freak, who also notes: "O_o", (184) beetlebz, (185) monsterfishkeeper, (186) nevermore781, (187) Redfish, (188) kitty2234 (k: 3), (189) Cory-PlecoLover, who also notes: "Goliath is my female common pleco.", (190) donpetty (k: 2), who also notes: "These are very gentile towards other fish and corys.", (191) crusnik, who also notes: "Age round 10 years if correct", (192) a-401, (193) plecolee, (194) Gunna623. Click on a username above to see all that persons registered catfish species. You can also view all "my cats" data for this species. Add this species to your "my cats" page.
Breeding Reports	None.
More Resources	- CotM 2008 April - Search Planet Catfish for more on Pterygoplichthys pardalis - BBcode (for use in linking to this page from forum posts) - Look up Pterygoplichthys pardalis on AquaticRepublic.com - Look up Pterygoplichthys pardalis on Fishbase, I.T.I.S. or ispecies search. - URL (for use in linking to the species from anywhere on the web)
Hits	89498 hits.
Last Update	2011 Feb 26 02:35 (species record created: 2001 May 05 00:00)

Cat-eLog Data Sheet

Scientific Name

Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Castlenau, 1855)

Common Name(s)

Albino Pleco, Common Pleco, Janitor Fish, L021, L023, Pleco

Type Locality

Amazon

Synonym(s)

Hypostomus pardalis, Liposarcus jeanesianus, Liposarcus pardalis, Liposarcus varius

Pronunciation

terry gop LICK thees - par dah liss

Etymology

Greek, pterygion, diminutive of pteryx = wing, fin + Greek, hoplon = weapon + Greek, ichthys = fish.

Species Information

Size

350mm (13.8") SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.

Identification

Pterygoplichthys can be identified by the number of rays in the dorsal fin. More than 10 indicates that it's a Pterygoplichthys. Most other plecos have 8 or fewer rays (in particular the larger Hypostomus species that are most likely to be confused with Pterygoplichthys).

Is also L023. A relatively nondescript species that is unlikely to be imported as an L number. An amelanistic form has also been fixed by US and SE Asian commercial fish farms and is commonly sold as the "chocolate pleco." As they are bred in huge numbers by commercial fish farms, this is currently the most commonly available loricariid and can be found for sale in nearly all the larger chain-type pet stores.

This species is most likely to be confused with P. disjunctivus. The pattern on the abdomen is the most useful external key: P. pardalis has a spotted pattern, where P. disjunctivus has a vermiculated pattern. For more info see: Zootaxa 1109: 57?68 (2006)

Sexing

Comparison of the genital papilla in mature fish shows the differences in the sexes to the trained eye. In males this is a small yet thick stump which noticeably protrudes from the fish's undercarriage. In females it is less obvious and is recessed or lies flat with the body.

General Remarks

It is important to note that the term "common pleco" is applied to several nondescript loricariid species, especially of the genera Pterygoplichthys and Hypostomus.

Habitat Information

Distribution

Widespread in the amazon river system.
Amazon (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there)

6.0 - 7.5

Temperature

21.0-26.0°C or 69.8-78.8°F (Show others within this range)

Husbandry Information

Feeding

Omnivorous and a good algae eater, especially when young.

Furniture

Larger fish will unwittingly uproot plants. Large plastic or ceramic pipes are best for hiding places.

Compatibility

Peaceful as far as large plecos go.

Suggested Tankmates

Almost any medium sized community fish.

Breeding

Commercially bred in outdoor ponds in both the U.S. and Far East.

Further Information

References

Ann. Wien. Mus. Naturges.v. 1 (no. 1) - pp25

Registered Keepers

(1) xingumike, (2) daniel60, (3) Sktchy, (4) dewitt_discus, (5) Trident2004, (6) deter00005, (7) jenny, (8) Travis_Conklin, (9) Noesis, (10) Foster9011 (k: 2), who also notes: "I have almost always kept a common pleco in my Amazon tank. I've kept commons with Oscars for almost 10 years. These fish get large and need a 75 gallon or large aquarium. For those of you with 10 gallon aquariums, look for some of the ancistrus species or clown plecos that don't get too big for your tank.", (11) mikelouth, (12) chrismarkham1982, (13) call_apple (k: 2), (14) Topaztas, (15) Demon_fish (p: 5), (16) slikjim, (17) ani-mal-lvr (k: 3), (18) FuglyDragon, (19) MatsP, who also notes: ""Inherited" a mature specimen from "friend of a friend" who was getting rid of the tank - along with a dozen Malawi Cichlids.", (20) fishie650, (21) ElectricYellowPlecostomus, (22) vernonlarge, (23) HylaChristine, (24) Brian W C (k: 2), who also notes: "Both Currently 1.5" long", (25) Chi-Chi (p: 2), (26) BK, (27) artemis1 (p: 2), (28) dr_evil_01, who also notes: "Albino Variety", (29) killerklown (p: 2), (30) Kjlossman, (31) gixir, (32) Belial, (33) Osiris, (34) matthi22004, (35) zvirus, (36) Benjamin (k: 3), (37) unkaface, (38) DutchFry, (39) holing007 (k: 2), (40) Landlubber, (41) Gopherboy, (42) Snowy (p: 3, k: 13), who also notes: "Gold Spot Pleco (Australian common name) ", "Common Pleco ", (43) Plecofanatic1989 (k: 2), (44) GoGoCactus, (45) darkwolf29a, (46) Colin Keightley, (47) obik101, (48) zenyfish, (49) janev, (50) silentskream, who also notes: "Grow very quickly in the right environment. Ours was only 2 inches long when we got it.. now nearly a foot and a half. Very interesting now that he's larger we can see the very fine spiny exterior. Absolutely Fascinating to watch!", (51) Tribble, (52) Kara, (53) Serian, (54) steelhead99, (55) brettjurgens, (56) onyx_rose7145, (57) jordant (k: 2), (58) Jeox, (59) gmer4life (p: 2, k: 3), who also notes: "albino. its one of my favorite plecos", (60) jb92 (k: 4), (61) Troender, (62) Cdn Glenwood (p: 2), (63) Loracidlover, (64) vriesea (k: 3), who also notes: "Bought 3 at same time placed 2 in my pond. Excellent at removing algae from pond. Place in aquarium during cold weather. Pond versions are 3 - 4 times bigger than version keep in aquarium.", (65) Plunt, (66) astroaquaria, (67) wardcorp (k: 2), (68) joe.juice13, (69) aledk85 (k: 2), who also notes: "1 common 1 albino", (70) Mariea, (71) pureplecs, (72) pressureflip, (73) JayC, (74) toehead11183, (75) abradley (p: 2, k: 3), (76) theshiner72, (77) Violence, (78) Jeff12, (79) zedogz (p: 21), (80) ranmasan, who also notes: ""chocolate/albino" form -- moved to Indoor Pond #2 on 11-08-08. Bio load too much for tanks to handle: bacterial septicemia in tank. Quarentined, treated & donated to LFS once recovered.", (81) Complecs, (82) cathje (p: 2, k: 4), (83) NHL (k: 3), (84) shawntraviss, (85) speedy231278, (86) Gayle, (87) doesdavid (k: 5), (88) Shovelnose (k: 3), (89) junaid, (90) Marguarretthe, (91) stratofish, (92) Rafael_BR, (93) Khalid (p: 2), (94) chralis, (95) Tracey, (96) Patches, (97) ray_c, (98) pmbooper (k: 2), who also notes: "6 inch pleco in 200 gal.-10 inch pleco in 1000 gal.", (99) Arherp, (100) Deano089, (101) vman, (102) andy.cole94, (103) royaldragoness, who also notes: "Albino Version ", (104) phenix, (105) andywoolloo, (106) sabwitch, (107) carolynkline (p: 2), (108) he that is i (k: 2), who also notes: "Both are albino ", (109) anglerfishuk, (110) chemma, (111) BigMu, (112) drgold, (113) nomuken (k: 3), (114) liam..essex, (115) Dacian, (116) judeblackburn, (117) theonetruepath (k: 2), who also notes: "Bought as a 'Golden pleco', Aquotix Albino version", (118) djinn75, (119) Joanne, (120) TheSmurfinator, (121) Hoyo12, (122) saphphx, (123) Greggyfest (k: 4), (124) raymond, (125) kaleidoskope (k: 2), who also notes: "1 chocolate albino, 1 ivory albino (with brown rings around the eyes).", (126) stuart henson, (127) Gibbiceps, (128) chrisinha (p: 2), (129) KittyKat, (130) drpleco, (131) LowClassCC, (132) Void (k: 2), (133) oli (k: 3), (134) Nichof, (135) Irish Goliath, (136) Ullopincrate, (137) errichello5, (138) dpk2313, (139) fishpimpin, (140) sampster5000, (141) warrior_wolf73, (142) Armyngmike1982, (143) smitty (p: 2, k: 2), who also notes: "Originally kept in 180gal tank. Moved to 150gal tank on 9/14/2010. Returned to 180gal Aquarium on 5/06/2011 due to heavy brown algae growth on.", (144) sterlingtjones, (145) Astrea, (146) kungfuteacher, (147) cichlidman16yearsold (k: 30), (148) amirbabak1979, (149) Ozcattie, (150) wimmels, (151) otgarza, (152) marinebalaji, (153) tiffanyjayne, (154) knockout, (155) FunkyFredFrog, (156) jenniebean, (157) Sciencehero, (158) Dan101 (p: 2), (159) kemozabi, (160) fishermandan (k: 2), (161) Plecfan_82, (162) glenny, who also notes: "My oldest catfish.", (163) bluestbluedog, (164) tropicalfishlover, (165) Mezel, (166) oldman60, (167) Ecrevince (k: 2), (168) Sam, (169) Hitch, (170) ElTofi, who also notes: "September 2011 : Saved this skinny one from a 300 liters where it was starving... after 2 days, it begins to eat and slightly swim... very softly... eventually, it will survive... April 2012 : it has survived... it's thriving... 37 cm TL and very healthy...", (171) Duster1971, (172) Hapahound1971, (173) Seagirt (k: 2), who also notes: "They don't bother anyone, not even the koi.", (174) xakkan, (175) araceae, (176) duequattro (p: 2), (177) minipol (p: 2), (178) Kataterfish, (179) wendy333 (p: 2), (180) bigamefish, (181) clydeboy, (182) MrGT500, (183) Catfish freak, who also notes: "O_o", (184) beetlebz, (185) monsterfishkeeper, (186) nevermore781, (187) Redfish, (188) kitty2234 (k: 3), (189) Cory-PlecoLover, who also notes: "Goliath is my female common pleco.", (190) donpetty (k: 2), who also notes: "These are very gentile towards other fish and corys.", (191) crusnik, who also notes: "Age round 10 years if correct", (192) a-401, (193) plecolee, (194) Gunna623.

Click on a username above to see all that persons registered catfish species. You can also view all "my cats" data for this species.

Add this species to your My Cats species list

Add this species to your "my cats" page.

Breeding Reports

None.

More Resources

- CotM

2008

April

- Search Planet Catfish for more on Pterygoplichthys pardalis
Link

- BBcode (for use in linking to this page from forum posts)
Look up AquaticRepublic.com

- Look up Pterygoplichthys pardalis on AquaticRepublic.com
Look up Fishbase

- Look up Pterygoplichthys pardalis on Fishbase, I.T.I.S. or ispecies search.
Link

- URL (for use in linking to the species from anywhere on the web)

Hits

89498 hits.

Last Update

2011 Feb 26 02:35 (species record created: 2001 May 05 00:00)

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