Small pleco

[ahattest]

Hi
I have bought a couple of small pleco's at the local shop. They are about 5cm long, and acording to the fish-pusher they would stay about that size. The dealer think they might be peckoltia vittata, I think they look more like pitbull pleco's.

Any suggestions?

[Karsten S.]

Hi,

this is not a pitbull pleco, this is a Panaqolus sp., most probably L 448.
This species is quite frequently mislabeled as P. vittata.

Cheers,

[bekateen]

... this is a Panaqolus sp., most probably L 448.

Not

Panaqolus maccus

? I doubt I'll ever be able to tell them apart.

Cheers, Eric

[ahattest]

Yep, that looks a lot more similar to mine. Thanks a lot!
What's the difference between panaqolus maccus and panaqolus sp. L448 ?

[Karsten S.]

Hi,

if I remember correctly P. maccus has more stripes (four to five vs. three) in the pectoral fins.
L 448 is much more common in the trade and stays smaller.

Cheers,

[bekateen]

if I remember correctly P. maccus has more stripes (four to five vs. three) in the pectoral fins.
L 448 is much more common in the trade and stays smaller.

As to the body length, according to the CLOG pages here you have that backwards: L448 gets longer. I've never heard or read about differences in the pectoral fin stripes. I've only read the info about squiggles on the face in adults vs. in juveniles. And in my own density, I can't make heads or tails of it.

Cheers, Eric

[Shane]

I agree with Karsten's identification for the reason Eric gives. Namely, a P. maccus this small should have very clean lines on the rostrum. P. maccus was by far more common in the U.S. trade a few years ago, but collection locations change and we now see far less wild fish in the U.S. than are available in Europe or Asia. The closest non chain store to me, living in the nation's capitol, is an hour away in Maryland.
-Shane