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Any ideas as to what these guys are? They were labeled as "Laguvia ribeiroi" by the exporter, which is now Glyptothorax ribeiroi.




Rusty

This is the undescribed Pseudolaguvia/Laguvia also sold as Hara horai.

Any chance I can receive some very drunk of these guys?

Yes, sure we can give you a few, though all are alive and well so far. Since you're so good, we can even send you a few live ones if you're willing to pay the shipping (a small box 15x15x15 cm should be fine). They seem pretty tough. Rusty was not quite right. These were sold as Laguvia asperus, which according to FB is now Glyptothorax asperus (McClelland, 1844). This ID is probably questionable.

They are definitely NOT what we had earlier seen and photographed as "Hara horai" (see also Dave R's pic of the same, slightly clearer).



These were sold as "Banded stone cats" and look quite different. The Hara horai were sold out by the time we placed our order.

I notice some interesting things about this fish. It burrows into the gravel. When not burrowing, it blends into the background almost perfectly. You can be staring at a spot for 5 minutes not seeing anything until you see the gravel twitch and realize there's a fish there. They seem so motionless that you'd think they'd be easy to catch, but as soon as a hand or net approaches, they either disappear into the gravel or zoom away.

So you think this is an Erethistid and not a Sisorid? Sorry for the elementary question (I know I knew but now forget), what differentiates them?

Dinyar

There are several species of undescribed Laguvia/Pseudolaguvia (I'm not convinced that the two genera are distinct) from India, and this is one of them (it's not the same as the one sold as H. horai...my bad). I can tell that it's not a Glyptothorax because I can see two fairly long bony processes on each side of the head (in addition to the humeral process). Glyptothorax would not have only one (that would not be as long as the humeral process), but Laguvia/Pseudolaguvia would.

Silurus wrote:I can tell that it's not a Glyptothorax because I can see two fairly long bony processes on each side of the head (in addition to the humeral process). Glyptothorax would not have only one (that would not be as long as the humeral process), but Laguvia/Pseudolaguvia would.

Is there a slip of the pen here somewhere or am I just dense? You're saying this one has two bony processes, but Glyptothorax has more than one, so this one can't be Glyptothorax? Two IS more than one.

Dinyar

Sorry to ask a question that's off topic, but how big do these guys get and what do they like to eat? I think my lfs has two of these guys and they are pretty cool. Do they need to be in groups? What kind of temp/pH? I think it's neat that they look like a piece of bark and I have been looking at them in the lfs, but never though to own one. If I could get some good info, maybe I can give one (or both) a good home. Thank you!

Many fish look somewhat like this. If you can get a picture of your LFS's fish, we can probably tell you exactly what it is.

This fish is about 3 cm. Don't think it'll grow much larger. It eats worms and bugs in fast flowing streams. Definitely a neat fish IMO, but not something I'd recommend for a community tank.

Dinyar

Dinyar wrote:

Silurus wrote:I can tell that it's not a Glyptothorax because I can see two fairly long bony processes on each side of the head (in addition to the humeral process). Glyptothorax would not have only one (that would not be as long as the humeral process), but Laguvia/Pseudolaguvia would.

Is there a slip of the pen here somewhere or am I just dense? You're saying this one has two bony processes, but Glyptothorax has more than one, so this one can't be Glyptothorax? Two IS more than one.

Dinyar

Sorry, I meant that Glyptothorax WOULD have only one. My bad again.

Hi, Dinyar! The two fish at my lfs look exactly like the fish in the picture you posted, only they are teeny-tiny right now, only about 3/4" long but they are cute little buggers. I can try and get pictures of them, but I'm not sure how well they would turn out. My camera has a good micro-shot option, but it's best if I use a tripod with it. I've tried taking some extremely close pictures of my oto, but without the tripod is a green blob. Would this fish get along with my pleco and three cories?

Would this fish get along with my pl*co and three cories?

It would, but it needs an entirely different setup than for most plecos and corys (gravel/coarse sand substrate, strong current). If you had a hillstream biotope tank, I'd say go for it, but with what (I think) you have, probably not a good idea.

Drat! Okay, thanks for the info. I can always just watch them at the lfs.