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Silurus wrote:

kush,

Your fish is not Z. pulcher as the head is too deep.

What is it?

Kush,

Your fish appears to be <I>Peckoltia vittata</I> a fish sometimes confused (especially in older literature) for <I>Z. pulcher</I>. As Silurus states, your fish has a higher profile than that of the frying pan shaped <I>Z. pulcher</I>. There is an outside change it is L134, but I don't think so. Once the fish is a little older it _should_be easier to ID with greater certainty.

Jools

Hi Kush,

Just another opinion.
I think your fish is L168 - to me those markings looks like the markings of all the L168 i've seen. I even think the body-shape looks like L168.
I can see (if I try hard ) why the experts say the fish has a high profile, but it might be due to camera angle.
I'm definitely not in the same catfish-expert-league as the others and I might be wrong.
And I might change my opinion if I see some more photos But untill then - I'll think your fish is L168.

Regards
-Klaus

I agree with Klaus in that it is a very hard photograph to work from and we _could_ be wrong but I would draw your attention to two other features:

a) The pectoral fin ray is not long enough for <I>Z. pulcher</I>
b) <i>Z. pulcher</I> ALWAYS has a two colour eye, there is a vertical black middle bar through the middle half of the eye and sandy brown / dirty yellow quarters on either side.

I do not see either feature on this fish from the photos posted.

Jools

I dont think it is L134.
I have had one since a juve, and it has never had such patterning or colour.


Phil.

PhilipAsh wrote:I dont think it is L134.
I have had one since a juve, and it has never had such patterning or colour.

They are very variable and I've been caught out by them before. Look at the pics in S. Allen's avatar and Janne's article on breeding them in Shane's World. Given the pictures in this topic it's not impossible that they are but I agree it is unlikely.

Jools

In my opinion it's definitely not a L134; I know that the pattern of L134 can vary very much, but I don't think they can ever match those of the pictures. L134 does also have a much more compact body - the body on the fish in question is more elongated.

I'll use the same argumentation regarding the Peckoltia Vittata.

Regarding the bars in the eyes: My screen must be playing fun with me, because I think I can see bars - maybe I just want to see them

Regarding the length of the pectoral fin: I've seen collections of L168 where some of them have very long pectoral fins and some have not so much long pectoral fins - I don't know why, but I guess it might have something to do with the age of the fish. I agree with Jools that the pectoral fins on the fish on the photos could be longer (for no other reason, it will help to remove any doubts regarding the id ) and it could be due to the camera angle.

Here's a link to a (juvenile?) L168 with not so long pectoral fin:
http://www.transfish.de/LCode/L168.jpg

-Klaus

I think we need more pictures to be sure...

Jools

Will try to snap some pic's during this weekend. Maybe even try to net it and transfer to a smaller empty tank.

Thanx for trying up to this point!

Hi,
i also dont´t think, this is a L-134.
I´ve seen hundreds of 134, also growing up, and never seen one with this colour.

Does this fish already have big pectoral odontodes? I cannot see it correctly at the picture.
If it is so, have you mentioned fishes of the genus Panaqolus, f.e. L-169 = LDA 1?

Well,
seem´s that I´m wrong.
It should be Zonancistrus sp. L-52 from Columbia (they have higher backs), says a man, who should know it ;)

I too see an omega eye... maybe because of the not so direct shot.

Rusty

more of like a beautiful L15

Plec0maniac wrote:more of like a beautiful L15

Which is Peckoltia vittata - this IS a circular thread! Let's wait for more pics to see if we can't be more certain.

Jools

No good pic's this weekend. Didn't want to net him since he's soon to be moved. So I won't take any more pic's until 6th or 7th of sept.
I'm moving all of the inhabitants in the 325l to a newly emptied 530l.
Will be sure to handle the "L-168?" last so i hope to get some decent pic's without any deco in the tank.

Thanx again for all your help so far.

one new pic. More to come tomorrow.

Hi!

To me the correct genus should be Dekeyseria.
I believe it to be Dekeyseria pulcher (or Zonancistrus if some of you woule prefer)
The eye has clearly 2 colours!
Cheers
Yann

Looks to me like a Zonancistrus too, I've been comparing a lot of fish to mine with the ones in Aqualog "all L-numbers" and the only one that can look like a L-168 is the L-170...
Thanx for all your help.

Hi!

The picture of L170 in the Aqualog is wrong, L170 is a totally different fish. The L170 pic in the Aqualog only show L168.
Fish can look different depending on the environement and water parameters...
Cheers
Yann

As Yann said, there's an error in Aqualog. The pictures of L170 in Aqualog is actual a L168.
Here's a picture from http://www.transfish.de of the right L170:


-Klaus