Help me ID mystery Parotocinclus (solved)

[SammySam]

I bought a

Parotocinclus maculicauda

and

Parotocinclus haroldoi

batch and these two contaminants arrived! They're so pretty but I have no idea what are their names!

#1 (IDed as

Hisonotus notatus

)

Dark body, very faint red in its fins. 2"

#2 (IDed as

Schizolecis guentheri

)

Very light with greyish brown stripes on its head, and common pattern along it's tail (compare with Parotocinclus #1). 1.5" - 2"

Parotocinclus maculicauda

The "type" of P. maculicauda of my batch. Leopard-like markings and intense red on the fins and snout. There are no relevant sexual dysmorphism regarding coloration in most Parotocinclus populations so I believe #1 and #2 are either variations or completely different species. 2.2"

Parotocinclus haroldoi

Nothing like the others. 1.5"

[Jools]

First off, it's not likely to be a

Parotocinclus

because there is no adipose fin. Have a look a

Hisonotus

or

Pseudotothyris

perhaps? Hard to say exactly from your pics, but the caudal fin pattern might best help with ID.

Jools

[SammySam]

First off, it's not likely to be a

Parotocinclus

because there is no adipose fin. Have a look a

Hisonotus

or

Pseudotothyris

perhaps? Hard to say exactly from your pics, but the caudal fin pattern might best help with ID.

Jools

Thank a lot for your response! That's true, I have no idea how I didn't notice that detail.
I believe #1 might be a

Hisonotus notatus

(notice the tail of the little guy in the back of the picture), but I still had no luck finding #2.

[Jools]

That's a good call. I'd guess #2 might be the same species and looks different as stressed or on pale gravel. Are they in the same tank, for how long please?

Jools

[SammySam]

That's a good call. I'd guess #2 might be the same species and looks different as stressed or on pale gravel. Are they in the same tank, for how long please?

Jools

They have been in the tank for a day now, and they took an hour or two to colour up well. There is no noticeable change in the base color of #2 when it attaches to driftwood or other dark surfaces, except for the greyish markings, which turn darker.

They have been as active as your usual Parotocinclus since they settled down.

I'll be looking through

Hypoptopomatinae

and see if I find anything similar.

I don't know if this makes sense but #2 also has really small pupils/eyes. I'm not sure if it's a trick of the light since it has white eyes, but it's the first thing I noticed when I saw it.

[Jools]

In that case, it's maybe

Schizolecis guentheri

?

Jools

[SammySam]

In that case, it's maybe

Schizolecis guentheri

?

Jools

Definitely!



Thanks a lot for the help! Now I have to find friends for these little rascals :b

[Jools]

Glad to help, they are all brilliant fishes and all most definitely "spawnable". Enjoy!

Jools