/siluriformes/loricariidae/hypostomus/punctatus/1.jpg "Hypostomus punctatus")
/siluriformes/loricariidae/hypostomus/punctatus/2.jpg "Hypostomus punctatus")
/siluriformes/loricariidae/hypostomus/punctatus/3.jpg "Hypostomus punctatus")
Eating cichlid eggs!/siluriformes/loricariidae/hypostomus/punctatus/4.jpg "Hypostomus punctatus")
/siluriformes/loricariidae/hypostomus/punctatus/5.jpg "Hypostomus punctatus")
 Cat-eLog Data Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Hypostomus punctatus Valenciennes, 1840 |
| Common Names | Common Pleco Pleco, Plettet Sugemalle (Denmark), Punktierter Schildwels (Germany) |
| Type Locality | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. |
| Pronunciation | hi POSS tow muss - punk TAT uss |
| Etymology | Greek, hypo = under + Greek, stoma = mouth. The specific epithet, punctatus, means spotted. |
| Articles |  - CotM  1998 July |
| Species Information | |
| Size | 300mm or 11.8" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp. |
| Identification | Hypostomus with a brown colouration and spots are generally difficult to ID with any accuracy. This species has a light brown colouration with very dark brown spots but it is the fact that it is from the Rio Janeiro that makes the ID more reliable. |
| Sexing | Unknown |
| Habitat Information | |
| Distribution | South America: coastal drainages of southeastern Brazil. Rio de Janeiro State Rivers (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 | 5.0 - 8.2 |
| Temperature | 22.0-29.0°C or 71.6-84.2°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. Algae (especially soft brown) will be eaten immediately. Will learn to eat floating pellets from the surface if the food drifts to the sides of the aquarium. User data. |
| Furniture | An appropriately sized shady retreat is all this fish requires. Will not eat plants, but any individual larger then 10cm or so may inadvertently pull up plants not entirely established. They are more likely to burrow if adequate hiding places are missing. |
| Compatibility | Larger individuals are territorial towards conspecifics, however not predatory and able to look after itself. Safe with small fish. |
| Suggested Tankmates | Larger individuals are territorial towards conspecifics, however not predatory and able to look after itself. Safe with small fish. Good for an appropraitely sized community tank. |
| Breeding | Unreported in the aquarium, but thought to spawn in mud burrows dug into the side of riverbanks. |
| Breeding Reports | There is no breeding report. |
| Further Information | |
| Reference | Histoire naturelle des poissons v. 15, pp 493. |
| Registered Keepers | There are 48 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data. |
| Wishlists | Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is but a single wish to keep this species, see who wants what. |
| Spotters | Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 5 records of this fish being seen, view them all. |
| Forum BBCode | |
| Search for H. punctatus | |
 | Look up H. punctatus on AquaticRepublic.com |
 | Look up H. punctatus on Fishbase |
 | Look up H. punctatus on Encyclopedia of Life |
 | Look up H. punctatus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| LFS label creator ARN ref:1.4.17.87 | |
| Last Update | 2020 Oct 24 05:02 (species record created: 2001 May 05 00:00) |