Zebra Pl*co - what makes an L098 or L173?

[smithrc]

Hi all,

I'm sure people will have seen this little beauty by now...

BUT.

I'm posting here in the hope of seeing other pics of Zebs with pattern variance and to find out if "he" qualifies as one of the other L number variants...

"he's" about 3 months old and about 20mm SL.

[Janne]

First, L173 is not H. zebra and L98 is just a variant of H. zebra, why use a L-number at all for a fish that have a science name? Just think if we gave all pattern variants in all Hypancistrus species their own L-number, Jools had be forced to get a new server for the database

Janne

[Haavard Stoere]

The pattern of the fish will change as the fish matures.

[smithrc]

thanks for the "helpfull" replies folks...

I realise that the L173s are "probably" a different fish and have their own page - HOWEVER Jools still has it listed against the L046 / L098 /L173 species page.

I appreciate they are the same fish eg Hypancistrus Zebra... thats made even clearer by the fact that this little ones parents are "normal" L046.
I was just wondering what the fish originally assigned L098 looks like, obviously remarkably different or it wouldn't have got its own L number when originally caught.
I'll still appreciate this little un for what he is - Cute.

[andrewcoxon]

iv got a fry like that too!

il try to get a photo of him

[Haavard Stoere]

I have never seen a picture of a fully grown L98. I suspect there is a reason for this. Maybee the markings change to normal L46 as fish matures?

[MatsP]

Hypancistrus sp(l173)

is a different species than

Hypancistrus zebra

I have attempted to remove the L173 common name, but I fear it's not that easy to do - as there's a bug in Jools' scripts - I'll post a separate entry in the bugs section.

--
Mats

[smithrc]

Hypancistrus sp(l173)

is a different species than

Hypancistrus zebra

I have attempted to remove the L173 common name, but I fear it's not that easy to do - as there's a bug in Jools' scripts - I'll post a separate entry in the bugs section.

--
Mats

bugger



Andrew - as long as you havent got 34 of them all from one spawn I'll be happy

Get a piccy up (I know how hard that request is though

Russell

[grokefish]

Is this a color pattern that is a result of in-breeding?
Matt

[apistomaster]

Hi Matt,
That would be my guess. I would not expect this one will change it's stripes all that much from what they are now. I expect this will become increasingly common among the tank raised fish as time goes on.

[HaakonH]

This is the original individual of H.zebra labelled L-098 from Transfish' website:



It was found by Heiko Bleher I think, and it's still alive in Germany today. It's a male, which has been bred with normal H.zebra. The offspring looks like regular H.zebra. L-098 is a number given to one single fish.

Individuals of H.zebra who suffer injuries to their skin through disease or fighting, may develop new pattern which differs from what it originally looked like.

-Haakon

[smithrc]

sorry guys - just to clarify. the parents are un related wild caughts - about 7 years old now.

I guess its like an albino - it can occur naturally, just not very often.

[smithrc]

Thanks Haakon ;)

I've seen the pattern of one of our original alpha males change due to fighting. he ended up with an O on his side where 2 stripes joined ;)

[Jools]

I have attempted to remove the L173 common name, but I fear it's not that easy to do - as there's a bug in Jools' scripts

I've manually removed the duplication now.

Jools