PlanetCatfish.com - Peckoltia sabaji (Loricariidae) Cat-eLog

L124
Juveniles
Female
Southern Venezuela
Male in cave
Pair (female - right)
Rio Demini
Dorsal view
Close-up of odontodes
Video
Holotype (in life)
Washed out - recent import
L075
Two day old fry
Eighteen day old fry
Twenty two day old fry
Twenty four day old fry
Six weeks old
Close-up of head
L075, Rio do Para
Four day old fry
Seven day old fry
Rio Xingu - 83mm SL
Juvenile
Four day old eggs
Twelve day old fry
Thirty five day old fry
Four month old juvenile
Dorsal view of twenty two day old
Close-up of female
Adult (stressed)
The original LDA02 image
Rio Jatapu form
Rio Jatapu form
Habitat: type locality
Rio Curuá-Una
Habitat: Rio Curuá-Una
Itaituba, Middle Rio Tapajós
Habitat: Itaituba, Middle Rio Tapajós
Eleven week old juvenile
Close-up of head
Close-up of pectoral fin
Close-up of dorsal fin

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Peckoltia sabaji** Armbruster, 2003
Common Names	LDA002, Para Pleco L075, L124, L301, Sabajs Sugemalle (Denmark)
Type Locality	5.9 kilometers west-southwest of village of Sand Creek, 02.96656°, -059.56943°, Essequibo River drainage, Rupununi (Region 9), Guyana.
Synonym(s)	Hemiancistrus sabaji
Pronunciation	peck OLE tea ah - sah BAY eye
Etymology	Peckoltia: named after Gustavo Peckolt, member of the Natural History Commission of Rondon. The species is named for Dr. Mark Henry Sabaj Perez, Collection Manager of Ichthyology, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
Articles	- CotM 2004 May - Shane's World Reproduction Keeping and spawning Peckoltia sabaji
Species Information
Size	250mm or 9.8" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	See CotM article link below.
Sexing	Peckoltia sabaji are difficult to sex. It is more reliable when they are conditioned well but still takes a good eye. Well-conditioned males will have longer cheek odontodes and some on their pectoral fins, but not a lot and only slightly larger than the females. Males also have slightly larger fins than that of the females.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Guyana, Essequibo drainage, Venezuela/Colombia, middle reaches of Orinoco drainage, northern Brazil, Rio Negro drainage and river of Para State flowing north into the Amazon downstream of the confluence with the Rio Negro. Amazon, Lower Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there) Amazon, Middle Amazon (Solimoes), Negro (click on these areas to find other species found there) Orinoco, Middle Orinoco (click on these areas to find other species found there) Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, Essequibo (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 2020.
pH	6.0 - 7.6
Temperature	24.0-26.0°C or 75.2-78.8°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Flowing water preferred but not mandatory.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	A real omnivore; will eat frozen bloodworm, sinking pellets, flakes and green vegetables. Feed unsettled or new fish at, or just before, night / lights out. User data.
Furniture	Provide plenty of rocks for hiding. Tank does not need to be well-planted. Low rounded rocks and close to the ground driftwood crevices are favoured. This pleco doesn't commonly attach to the glass or venture very high in the water column.
Compatibility	A relatively gentle pleco even when at its maximum size. Appears to do well with its own kind as well as other plecos of a similar temperament / dietary requirements.
Suggested Tankmates	Other small to medium sized catfish, a good pleco to keep with Corydoras or Brochis. Seems to prefer the company of smaller more active fish rather than larger ones. Double figure sized shoals of active tetras or even cyprinids seem to have the most calming effect and inspire confidence in these plecos to make daytime sorties in search of food.
Breeding	They are sexually mature around 13-14 cm SL but there are only small differences between the sexes. The male grows just a little longer interopercular and pectoral spine odontodes. The latter are small compared to many other species in the same genus. The females get very plump when gravid and her genital papilla will look round and be very visible, males stay slender and elongated in their body. They are cave spawners and the main problem is to get both sexes and a pair that match each other in terms of size and temperament as the spawning is remarkably gentle in comparison to most other species especially Hypancistrus.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Zootaxa No. 344, pp 6, Figs. 2-4.
Registered Keepers	There are 243 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 18 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 77 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	Search for P. sabaji
	Look up P. sabaji on AquaticRepublic.com
	Look up P. sabaji on Fishbase
	Look up P. sabaji on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up P. sabaji on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.4.18.195
Last Update	2025 Jan 01 12:03 (species record created: 2001 May 05 00:00)