Being sold as royal plecos - doesn't look right

[bekateen]

Hi All,
My LFS has two of these little plecos, each about 3/4 inch long. They were received as "royal plecos" but they don't look like any royal pleco I've ever seen. Can anybody i.d. this pleco? I apologize for the poor photos - my phone isn't the best camera. I'm wondering about plecos like

L270

,

Hypancistrus debilittera

,

Hypancistrus furunculus

, and

Hypancistrus sp(l340)

(actually, I'm really leaning towards L340 because they used to have these in stock as adults. So maybe the supplier is sending the same fish.).
Thank you,
Eric

[Richard B]

certainly NOT royals

[Marc van Arc]

certainly NOT royals

Reminds me of a Lorde song ("And we'll never be royals")

[bekateen]

Okay, they aren't royals (that was my thought too). So what are they? L340? (let's see if Lorde can make a song out of L340. LOL)
Cheers, Eric

[racoll]

Looks more like

Hypancistrus debilittera

than

L340

.

The common name for H. debilittera is often "Colombian zebra pleco".

[bekateen]

Thanks, Racoll, for the I.d.

Interesting twist: today I was able to speak to the guy who orders for this LFS, and he said the supplier labeled them as mega clown plecos (the misidentification as a royal pleco was made by another employee who is relatively new at the store). These are about 3/4 inch long and their wholesale price is $25USD. Around this area of California, retailers tend to have a 3x markup on their livestock. But there's no way my LFS can expect to sell these for $75USD, so they're priced at $30USD, which still seems high to me, even for a mega clown pleco.

If these are debilittera, is that a good price? And how can I definitively tell debilittera apart from L340?

Thanks, Eric

[racoll]

how can I definitively tell debilittera apart from L340?

Probably the same species, but the L340 seems to have a longer snout, smaller eyes, and a more yellowish colour. Take a look at the cat-elog pictures, and you can see there is nothing definitive there, but some look pretty different.

[bekateen]

Okay, thanks. Yes I did take a look at the photos. Alas, I've never seen either type alive and in person. I'll do my best.
Cheers, Eric

[bekateen]

For people who know the US market, does $30USD seem excessive for either of these plecos (debilittera or L340)?

[cjp155]

I personally wouldn't pay more than $20 for L129. I have seen them for as low as $10. I am not familiar with L340 pricing.

[Atmichaels]

Eric-in the U.S., you can usually find debiliterra marketed at $20-$25 each and frequently see them 3 for $45 online. Same for L340's.

[bekateen]

Thanks to both of you. Yes, I thought the price seemed high.

Cheers, Eric

[TwoTankAmin]

Most folks wont sell them at that size. They should be at least 1.5 inches TL, imo.

[Coldhands]

If these are debilittera, is that a good price?

These typically sell here for $19.99.

[bekateen]

Thank you both. Yes, they seem to be both overpriced and undersized. TTA, believe it or not, these aren't the smallest plecos I've found in a LFS. Last Autumn I visited a LFS in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It seemed like a really good store until I saw them selling normal (not albino) common BNs less than 1cm long as "microplecos." I was offended by this because I suspect most people who buy these won't this be able to keep them alive. BNs are tough, but babies are still fragile.