L203 and LDA65

jamos · Post by **jamos** » 16 Sep 2006, 12:34

I am recieving conflicting reports about these numbers!

Does anyone know if these are they the same fish or are they different?

thanks
jamos

Dave Rinaldo · Post by **Dave Rinaldo** » 16 Sep 2006, 14:07

Cat-eLog says they are the same.

Common Name(s) Titanic Pleco, Volkswagen Pleco, LDA65, L203

Judazzz · Post by **Judazzz** » 18 Sep 2006, 10:38

I also posted this on PFanatics - this is info taken from the Mergus Wels Atlas vol. 2 (I don't know how accurate it or trustworthy it is, though).

myself - sorry :p wrote: L203 and LDA65 are one and the same species (in fact, L203 is the juvenile form of LDA65): they are found together in the same stretches of river, and share a number of features that are rarely seen on other large Panaque-species (like the rows of spines on the body towards the tail (like Pseudacanthicus have, but smaller and less prominent). The only other Panaque species that has similarly visible rows of spines is Panaque suttonorum.

As far as the differences between L090 and L203/LDA65 are concerned: L090 has longer tail filaments and keeps them throughout their live (L203/LDA65 only has them - and not always - when young). Also, L090 has a white to yellow or pink tail end, L203 doesn't (its tail is more like Royal Pleco's). Another difference I already mentioned: the spiny rows which L203/LDA65 has, and L090 hasn't. And lastly, L203/LDA65 grows much larger than L090 (30"+ vs. 24")
Although L090c is - if I'm not mistaken - indeed L203/LDA65, code-numbers like L090 a/b/c aren't official (not issues by Datz), and thus basically meaningless.