2 gold nuggets/orange seam? 1 Leopard ?Royal?

INXS · Post by **INXS** » 25 Jul 2003, 03:51

This one was sold as "Leopard pleco" no info about origin on any of the fish.

I have seen one similar in coloration but with a higher body and some white at the end of the fins. This one is reminiscent of an L-114 in bodyshape. It appears to have the body barbs/bristles of a "cactus pleco" and is grey with black spotting.
Body is quite flat and low with small eyes relativley close together, again similar to the L-114. It also has a large tailfin shaped like the cactus plecos.

Royal pleco - I'm not sure what the difference is between the L-027 a, b and c also I think there is an L-191 (?). Anyway this one has a light colored tail.

The first one.

Second one.

I am pretty sure it's not an L-177 , I would guess more towards L-81 rather then L-18.

However the spots are pretty small and when viewed from above there seems to be small differences in eyeplacement and finshape. Is that just variation or are they two different species?
Thanks

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 25 Jul 2003, 07:46

Hi!

Your Panaque look correctly id!
How big is your Baryancistrus, because depending of its size it would be L177!
Yours seems to be rather big so I guess the id is correct as well
Your Pseudacanthicus is not the leopardus but rather the spinosus...
Cheers
Yann

INXS · Post by **INXS** » 25 Jul 2003, 13:04

Thanks Yanni,

Yes, it definitly looks like a spinosus, L-096/160. And just like leopardus the spinosus is quite outgoing even feeding during the day out in the open.

As far as the royal goes I understand it is one but am curious as to what kind?

As all the fish are just over 2" and have just arrived , the coloration may not be true adult - but judging from the pictures I have looked at it appears to be an L-190. Having said this I'm not sure what the general consensus is about the Panaque nigrolineatus - are they really several species or just local colorvariations as it is a widespread species?

The gold nuggets are last and a little tough as they too are only 2".

Having looked at the colorvariation on , for example the L-114, it is hard for me to tell if the two are the same species or not. There are slight variations between them . The two first pictures of gold nuggets are of the two different fish from above, the third picture is of the second fish also.

I have had L-177 (I think) breifly a couple of times as they were never in good shape or particularly hardy (the fish were also newly arrived every time). IMO the L-177 had bigger spots and they were spaced farther apart from eachother. Furthermore , if I recall correctly , the L-177 had a more sloping nose and the eyes were bigger and farther apart.

I have a hard time telling the goldspotted plecos apart, I seem to recall reading that the spotting gets bigger and spaced further apart as the fish get older. There is also the local variation and individual variation. As I don't see a great number of plecos in the flesh and am restricted to pictures my guess would be that at least the smaller sotted one, if not both , would be L-081.

kgroenhoej · Post by **kgroenhoej** » 25 Jul 2003, 22:30

Your royal is a L191

-Klaus

INXS · Post by **INXS** » 26 Jul 2003, 05:22

Tackar Klaus - but how do you tell the difference between the L-190 and L-191 ?

I know the picture is poor and the fish is stressed but it looks the same as the others in the store , with a light colored tail. It looks a lot like the picture of the juvenile L-190 in the cat-e-log. I'm just curious what makes it an L-191 in your opinion.

OK, anyone about the Gold Nuggets?

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 26 Jul 2003, 06:52

Hi INXS!

Well if your Gold nugget is only 2 in big so it is for sure not a L177

L18 and L85 being the same fish, no need to worry how to make the difference between these 2

L81 grow small than L18/L85 so I guess you shall wait a bit for him to grow so we could make a more accruate ID

Cheers
Yann

kgroenhoej · Post by **kgroenhoej** » 26 Jul 2003, 10:18

L191 have black stribes on dark green (L190 have black stribes on not so dark green ) - dark eyes (L190 have redish eyes). Your L191 also have the white vertical stribe just in front of the tail - typical for L191.

-Klaus

INXS · Post by **INXS** » 26 Jul 2003, 14:37

Thanks Klaus and Yanni.
I will assume that I have two slightly different looking L18/85 as the yellow is bright almost orange, an L-191 (based on the stripe) and an L-96/160.