Microdot pleco about 3" looks like a panaque tiny gold spots

[johnpeezy]

So i bought this pleco about a year ago,
I KNOW its was sitting in the pet store for atleast one year prior to purchase, because I looked at it every time I went in there.

so the pleco is 2+ years old (probably much older)

It measures approximatley 3 inches in length,
it has very tight gold spotting all over it body, there so small and close together its gives you a headache if you stare at her too long.

no fleshy groth on her nose like a ancistrus,

very pronounced scaling similar to a L-239 (blue fin panaque)

any help in Identifcation of this pleco is muchly appreciated, as I have been unable to do so for over a year.

[MatsP]

Not quite sure, but I doubt it's a

Panaque

- one common feature of those are their small eye-size. This fish has very large eyes. Something that is common in

Hypancistrus

. Have a look at

Hypancistrus sp(L262)

.

--
Mats

[johnpeezy]

Yeah I noticed that too, in fact I was going to say I thought it was a hypan.

This pleco just resembles everything, but there is nothing spot on that I have found.

I'm pretty sure it is full grown and for help of scaling the flower pot it is in is 5" in diameter.

[husky_jim]

most probably

Hypancistrus sp(l262)

as already mentioned...

[dconnors]

I would concur with the other 2 suggestions that it is indeed L262. If I had to guess I would say it is probably an adult male...just my 2 cents.

[wrasse]

I'm not so sure its L262. The ones I've kept were 'brighter'.

I'm also suspicious of this fish's eyes. They look popeye, very big and round. Is the fish behaving healthily? I hope its okay. It might also explain why its a darkly coloured.

[Shane]

I'm also suspicious of this fish's eyes. They look popeye, very big and round. Is the fish behaving healthily? I hope its okay. It might also explain why its a darkly coloured.

The fish has cataracts and is probably blind or mostly blind. Since it can not fully detect light levels the coloration will always be a bit off "normal."
-Shane

[racoll]

Hello.

In my mind this is not

Hypancistrus sp(l262)

.

I kept a group of these fishes [L262] for several years, and one of them was different. It had a different body shape, fin shape, a different spot pattern, and was much more secretive. So secretive, that I have very few photos of it.

It is not for me to say that this is a different species to L262 or not, but given the above, it would be quite unwise to call it L262, or try to breed with anything other than identical looking Hypancistrus.

Jools has it now, so I would be interested to see if he has any photos or opinions.

[nvcichlids]

hypan.JPG

Just based off of this picture alone, I would tend to agree with you. I have never seen either of these species in person, but based off of readings and books, this may end up being like the L136 B lol

[johnpeezy]

Hello.

In my mind this is not

Hypancistrus sp(l262)

.

I kept a group of these fishes [L262] for several years, and one of them was different. It had a different body shape, fin shape, a different spot pattern, and was much more secretive. So secretive, that I have very few photos of it.

It is not for me to say that this is a different species to L262 or not, but given the above, it would be quite unwise to call it L262, or try to breed with anything other than identical looking Hypancistrus.

Jools has it now, so I would be interested to see if he has any photos or opinions.

hypan.JPG

THATS IT!!!
the one to the right of the bag, IDENTICAL I have a terrible camera but thats my fish I have NEVER seen another one ever.....

[johnpeezy]

I'm not so sure its L262. The ones I've kept were 'brighter'.

I'm also suspicious of this fish's eyes. They look popeye, very big and round. Is the fish behaving healthily? I hope its okay. It might also explain why its a darkly coloured.

The fish is fine, please believe me when I say it is, I have a terrible camera. That fish is so difficult to take a photo of. I had to trap it in a flower pot, press it to the glass and try and get a good shot of it with no flash or anything fancy. Her eyes are big but if you were to look at her naturally and not a photo she is the spitting image of the pleco photoed above...

So I don't think it is a L-262, any ideas. I have cycled through all the 400+ image galleries of planetcatfish several times trying to ID her and have yet to be able to.

But the photo above IS my fish without a doubt, I'm estatic that someone else has had the opprtunity to have a photo of the same species (hopefully with a better camera then me) this may be to a positive identification of my mystery pleco!

[racoll]

So I don't think it is a L-262, any ideas. I have cycled through all the 400+ image galleries of planetcatfish several times trying to ID her and have yet to be able to.

That's because there is no L number for this fish, or any pictures of it on this site, or in any books (that I know of). I would call it Hypancistrus sp. "microdot" until we can find a collection locality for them, and then it can be called Hypancistrus sp. "microdot <insert river name here>", or something like that.

I think another member (username: Jon) has some, and Jools now has my specimen. There aren't many people with this fish, that's for sure.

I'm not even sure that the other fish I bought with it in the bag are L262 (Tapajos drainage) at all. I think they might be L136 (Demini drainage), maybe. I can't remember where the importer said they come from. They are again different (shape and spot size) from the fish that I kept which I know is L262 (the very same one that is pictured below from the cat-elog).