PlanetCatfish.com - Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus (Loricariidae) Cat-eLog

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Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus** (Weber, 1991)
Common Names	L001, Gold Spot Common Pleco L022, Amazon-sugemalle (Denmark), Amazonas-Pleco (Germany)
Type Locality	Rio Araguaia, affluent of Tocantins, Amazon system, Arunanã, Goiás State, Brazil.
Synonym(s)	Glyptoperichthys joselimaianus
Pronunciation	terry gop LICK thees
Etymology	Greek, pterygion, diminutive of pteryx = wing, fin + Greek, hoplon = weapon + Greek, ichthys = fish. Named to honour Mr. Jose Lima.
Articles	- CotM 2010 June
Species Information
Size	305mm or 12" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Pterygoplichthys can be identified by the number of rays in the dorsal fin. Ten or more dorsal rays (usually 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). L001 is the same as L022. Diagnosis (translated from French): Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus is distinguished by a dark coat, with light dots of medium size, more or less coalescing, covering the whole body and fins, and a preoperculum whose hooks emerge late. P. joselimaianus bears a similar appearance with P. lituratus and P. parnaibae. The three are collected from different waterways, with P. joselimaianus originating in the Rio Tocantins basin in the state of Goias, P. lituratus originating in the Rio Madiera basin, states of Rondonia and Mato Grosso, and P. parnaibae originating in the Rio Parnaiba basin in the state of Maranhao.
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.
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: Tocantins River basin. Amazon, Lower Amazon, Tocantins (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2018.
Temperature	24.0-29.0°C or 75.2-84.2°F (Show species within this range)
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Lettuce, Peas, Frozen Spinach and any prepared food that reaches the bottom. Larger fish enjoy prawns or pieces of freshwater trout. Algae (especially soft brown) will be eaten immediately. User data.
Furniture	An appropriately sized shady retreat is all this fish requires. Will not eat plants, but any individual larger then 100mm or so may inadvertently pull up plants that are not entirely established. Larger fish require heavy filtration, not because they are fussy about water quality, but because of the high volumes of waste they produce.
Compatibility	Larger individuals are territorial to conspecifics however not predatory and able to look after itself with all but the most violent tankmates. Not a good pleco to keep with other similarly sized plecos as the P. joselimaianus would usually win any competition for food.
Suggested Tankmates	Suitable with almost any fish, except other plecos due to the conspecific aggression of larger individuals and food competition.
Breeding	Although commercially farmed, spawning in a home aquarium would be very difficult to achieve as a large wall of mud (I.E. a river bank) is tunnelled into and used for the incubation / hatching process. Large tunnels and fish would be required in a super-size aquarium.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Revue Suisse de Zoologie v. 98 (no. 3), pp 640.
Registered Keepers	There are 170 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 2 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 29 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.4.6.177
Last Update	2021 Mar 02 03:36 (species record created: 2001 Apr 28 00:00)