Article © Ingo Seidel, uploaded July 16, 2013.

Ingo Seidel, of Werneuchen, Germany is a name synonymous with l-number plecos. He's a man who's been to more rivers in South America than most scientists or exporters alike. Ingo shares this species identification and habitat knowledge along with a catalogue of breeding successes via his many annual international speaking engagements. He loves talking about catfish with catfish enthusiasts; yet there is one question he has perhaps heard a little too often. I will leave it with Ingo to explain.

There is no other l-number that catfish enthusiasts have argued about more than very attractive L 236. It was in 1997 when André Werner showed the first picture of this species in the German DATZ magazine, using a fantastic picture made by Andreas Hartl. From thereafter, everybody wanted to have these fishes. But only a few specimens were imported and sold for horribly high prices — presumably to Japan.

As even L236 is a variable, black and white lined Hypancistrus species, the separation from other similar species like L 066, L 333, L 399 and L 400 is not really easy. The high demand and the variation of this species group have given dishonest people the chance to get high prices for so-called "L 236". Aberrant specimens and spectacular coloured hybrids were sold as "L 236", because the breeders could earn significant amounts of money from doing this. I have never received so many emails for identification of fishes as I have for this species. I was asked so many times if a particularly fish in a particular photo is a real L236 and I could never really give an answer to this question.

Wild caught female of Hypancistrus sp. L236 from Belo Monte, Xingu river

The first imports of L236 imported by Transfish exhibited at Interzoo 1998.

There is still a lot of mystery about this fish. When I saw the first imported specimens of L 236 in May 1998 on display at the booth of the company Transfish at the Interzoo fair in Nuremberg, Germany, all these specimens showed a very intensive white colour with thin black vermiculation. Even up to the present day, breeders see similar specimens from time to time, but most of the breeding groups consist even of other specimens, that are much less attractive. The first L 236 was reportedly imported from the Iriri river, a tributary of the Xingu River (Pará State, Brazil). Later mostly single specimens were only imported as bycatch of other Hypancistrus (L066, L 399, L 400) that came from the Xingu river at Belo Monte. Rumour has it that L 236 lives in very deep water at Belo Monte and is because of this a rare bycatch. But there was a high variety in these imported so-called “L 236”. Many of the specimens might have been especially nicely coloured other Belo Monte Hypancistrus. If somebody wanted to collect together a breeding group, they had to buy these special specimens from different imports.

Aberrant coloured L399 or L400, very similar to L236.

Nice female of the brood stock of L236 of Robert Budrovcan.

For this reason nobody can be sure if these breeding stocks of “L236“ that exist at different breeders are real L 236 or not. We surely have to live with this fact. So we must accept that the nice L 236 that some enthusiasts breed are perhaps a product of hybridization. But we have the same problem with the common Ancistrus and in this species that doesn't matter for most. Those who want to buy L236 today I would like to advise to visit the breeder and have a look at the breeding group. If the adults do not show the coloration of L 236, then even pretty juveniles never will and you shouldn't buy them.

In the next two parts of the L236 story Robert Budrovcan and Ernst Schmidt report about one of the nicest brood stock of L 236 that I know. Some of their fishes show an amazing colour. Links to these two articles can be found at the bottom of the species datasheet below.

References:
Werner, A. (1997) L236. DATZ 50(6): 349.

Copyright information for the images used in this article can be found on the species' full Cat-eLog page.

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	Hypancistrus sp. (L236)
Common Names	L236, Cracked Zebra Pleco Krakaleret Zebrasugemalle (Denmark)
Pronunciation	hype an siss truss
Etymology	A contraction of the Greek hypo (meaning less than) and ancistrus, an allusion to the reduced number of teeth (particularly in the lower jaw) found in this genus.
Articles	- Shane's World Species The L236 Story, Pt 2 - First captive spawning - Shane's World Species The L236 Story, Pt 3 - The successful raising of L236
Species Information
Size	120mm or 4.7" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Typical Hypancistrus body shape. Can only really be confused with L066 and L333. L236 has a white base coloration with black lines. These lines are less numerous than on L066 and L333, they are also thinner. Belly is all white.
Sexing	.
General Remarks	A very beautiful variety rarely seen on stocklists, those seen are line bred from a handful of wild imports.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Introduced in DATZ as being from the Rio Iriri, a tributary of the Rio Xingu Para State, Brazil however it is more likely that the handful of original specimens came from the lower main river channel. Amazon, Lower Amazon, Xingu, Lower Xingu (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
pH	6.6 - 7.6
Temperature	24.0-29.0°C or 75.2-84.2°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Current is appreciated.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Omnivorous. They still prefer meaty food such as bloodworms, gammarus and brine shrimp. Commercially prepared food such as Spirulina tabs are also avidily eaten. User data.
Furniture	.
Compatibility	A good citizen, not especially territorial.
Breeding	.
Breeding Reports	There are 9 breeding reports, read them all here.
Further Information
Reference	Datz 06/1997, p 349.
Registered Keepers	There are 135 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 33 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 72 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode
	Search for H. sp. (L236)
	Look up H. sp. (L236) on AquaticRepublic.com
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.4.7.969
Last Update	2022 Jan 19 10:58 (species record created: 2013 Jul 16 20:27)

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