Do they lose their spots?

[PoconoGal]

Hi. My LFS has this little BN. First, what is the common name? I've seen it called Calico BN and Common BN, but I've also seen a sort of drab brown/black called Common BN. Given the spots, Calico doesn't seem right to me, but he certainly doesn't look "common" to me! My calico cat (feline variety) had blotches of color, not spots!

Next question - on only one website did I see it mentioned that they lose their spots with age. Is this correct? Reason for asking is that I have a friend who would like to purchase this little guy but of course likes it with the spots. I'm tempted to buy some myself, but I already have ABNs. (But I might get one anyway, he's so cute).

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/im ... age_id=574

[MatsP]

The spots tend to be visible at all ages, but the spots are much brighter in young fish. Males tend to have more noticable spots than females too.

I'd call them "common bristlenose", but there are probably several different common names depending on where you are and who you talk to.

--
Mats

[Birger]

Hi. My LFS has this little BN. First, what is the common name? I've seen it called Calico BN and Common BN, but I've also seen a sort of drab brown/black called Common BN. Given the spots, Calico doesn't seem right to me, but he certainly doesn't look "common" to me! My calico cat (feline variety) had blotches of color, not spots!

There is just about every combination with this species

Ancistrus cf_cirrhosus

Next question - on only one website did I see it mentioned that they lose their spots with age. Is this correct? Reason for asking is that I have a friend who would like to purchase this little guy but of course likes it with the spots.

Look at the pictures of the adults in the link above...remember there are many (60 +) different species of ancistrus(BN) not all have the same style of pattern but this one is by far the most commonly acquired and simple to maintain.

Edit: actually there are 131 species presently in the Cat-eLog but not all having been officially described, I am sure that is not all there is.

Birger

[sunfish]

The common (brown) bristlenose is pretty cheap and sold by the dozen. So nobody bothers with ID for wildcaught fish. As a result, there is quite a variety of species/local forms or whatever being sold as common bristlenose. Some of them really pretty (like the one in the picture), and some more drab.

On rare occasions you will get something totally different that only looks like the common bn as a juvenile. This is how I got my LDA16 (which lost its spots as it grew).

BTW, the calico bn is a bred color form of the common bristlenose.

[PoconoGal]

Thanks for your replies! My friend is going to buy some of these guys.