Cat-eLog Right Loricariidae Right Hypostominae Right Pterygoplichthys  |  | 

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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
Article Link - CotM Right 2010 Right June
Down 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.
Down Habitat Information
Distribution South America: Tocantins River basin.
Amazon, Lower Amazon, Tocantins (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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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)
Down 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.
Down 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.
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There are 29 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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Last Update 2021 Mar 02 03:36 (species record created: 2001 Apr 28 00:00)