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Hoplosternum Littorale?

Maybe. Could be <i>H. magdalenae</i>. Got a shot of the ventral plates?

Call me stupid HH, where and from what angle?

The pectoral region from below.

Difficult shot to get, best so far.

Yup, <i>H. littorale</i> alright.

Thanks HH, he came from Poole Aquarium when it closed down last year, no one wanted him until I turned up.
He was at the Aquarium for 8 years so this is his ninth year in captivity, great character.

Silurus wrote:Yup, <i>H. littorale</i> alright.

How were you able to tell from looking at the ventral plates?

They are much more developed in <i>H. magdalenae</i>, so much so that the two large plates at the pectoral-fin base overlap slightly (the ones in Tim's fish don't even meet each other, much less overlap).

Are those the tan-coloured triangular structures?

Easy to check on mine when I get home, since they let me tickle them under the chin.

Well, they're about 1 mm apart on my female and 2.5 mm on the male. The inside edges run almost parallel on the female, but form more of a V shape on the male. A sex difference?

Yes, males have shorter plates that are further apart.

Thanks, so it sounds like H. littorale then.