Help needed with ID of this Uruguay black/red dot pleco

[Ironhead]

We have several of these plecos from Uruguay. They were collected about three years ago and brought to me by a friend. Recently we removed them from a 320 gallon community tank and placed them in a 50 gallon breeding tank. Now, some months later there are 3 cm juveniles moving all over. We believe this to be the largest female. She is approximately 15 cm. Males have nose bristles and appear blacker in their base color. If there is anyone with an ID idea please share your opinions.

Thanks

Ironhead

[Bas Pels]

'males have bristles' so it must be Ancistrus.

Not many, if any, Ancistrus were described from Uruguay. Your fish does look stunning, and I do envy you for reproducing ancistrus from Uruguay. As far as I know, you are the first (although, I hope I will find fry in a month, when I empty my ponds)

Where did you find them? They are more beautifull than mine from the Arroyo Aquas Blancas (in the region Canelones)
I think the best you can get is 'Ancistrus rio so and so' or 'Ancistrus arroyo so and so'

[MatsP]

In fishbase, the only species described from Uruguay is

Ancistrus cirrhosus

- which is quite different from this fish.

I expect this fish is undescribed - I certainly haven't seen one that looks the same as this - and I agree with Bas, it is a very nice looking fish.

--
Mats

[Jools]

I think you should look further than

Ancistrus

to be sure it's undescribed. There are some old descriptions, this thing could have been described as

Hypostomus

for example.

Your young fish should be pretty valuable, but would be more so if there was some locality data to go with them. Where did your friend collect them?

Jools

[MatsP]

Jools,

Good point - almost every genus in the Loricariidae have one or another member that has been described as Hypostomus...

--
Mats

[nvcichlids]

These are beautiful. Do you have any other pictures of the males, or the fry?

[Ironhead]

Thanks for the help...I will see if I can get pictures of the fry this week...also the location where it was collected.

Ironhead

[Yann]

Hi!!

I would believe this is: Hemiancistrus meizospilos it is collect in a tributary of the Rio Uruguay!!
But pretty sure it is a Hemiancistrus!!
Cheers
Yann

[Ironhead]

Yann,

Thank you for the input. That is the name that we have used until now. I removed it from the picture for this forum question.
Where did I get that name? Ingo was here last year and looked at the fish and made the same preliminary guess. We really had to watch his pockets when it was close to his flight back home!


Mike

[Yann]

HI!!

Thanks!!
Well I guess if I would have been there also you would have to check mine as well!!

You are really really lucky to have such beautiful species to make it all the way there!!
Fresh fast water should do good for them...and would be nice to hear some breeding report of such uncommon species

Cheers
Yann

[Jools]

Any chance of some pics or a even a breeding article for the site?

Jools

[andywoolloo]

he or she is stunning.

[amazontropical]

This fish does look like a Hemiancistrus species that I collected from the Rio Yi in Uruguay a couple of years ago. Unfortunately I have not been able to locate them on subsequent trips to the Yi. The Yi is a tributary of the Rio Uruguay, but the largest of any of these that I have seen is 4 inches or so. That would make it unlikely to be found in the Rio Uruguay. Maybe I will have more luck in November when I return locating these.

[The.Dark.One]

If it is H. meizospilos wouldn't the mature males have spiny pectoral fin spines and interopercular area, rather than having "nose bristles"? We need a photo of a mature male if poss. Whatever they are they are gorgeous.

[davidkozak]

I second(or third) the motion. Could you post some pictures of the male, and some of the fry, please?? David

[Ironhead]

We can try and get better photos of the male..he spends his time in his cave and we don't bother him much. Definitly get fry pics...maybe next week.. our local club has workshop and auction this weekend and we'll be busy helping.
The first batch of fry are about 3-4cm.
We'll be wanting to get them out to serious breeders for maintenance soon.

mike

[Birger]

The first batch of fry are about 3-4cm.

They will be just the right size to bring to the catfish convention

Seriously though as Jools implied some pics for the Cat-eLog would be nice if possible.

Birger

[MatsP]

It looks similar to this as well (photos from Aqva Terra Eco Tours' photos on facebook):

--
Mats

[Bas Pels]

It looks similar to this as well (photos from Aqva Terra Eco Tours' photos on facebook):--
Mats

Actually, I do see differences

The head in fish 1 has a clear Ancistrus shape - due to the bristles. The tailfin shows the well known white edges of the common Ancistrus Ironheads fish did not show

But most obvious are the markings. Ironhead showed a fish which is basically blac - with dots. The Aqva Terra fishes are basically reddish, with dark-grey netting

I have fishes which look similar to these, but than more yellowish, with a similar netting. These are from the Arroyo Aquas Blancas, in the region canelones. Did the Aqva Terra site provide any information?

[Yann]

Hi!!

mmm I read the thread half way...didn't see they had bred...very nice to hear...I wish I could get my hand on some juvenils!!

Mmm brsitle on the snout...
On my Hemiancistrus sp L128 I could see a few odontodes on the snout margin as well...nothing like a Pseudancistrus, Lasiancistrus or Pseudolithoxus but still

Here is a pic to illustrate:


surely a pic would greatly help!


Cheers
Yann

[davidkozak]

I've been speaking with someone who's going on one of Felipe's collecting trips in November, and she was speaking in turn with him, and they think it's this fish:

David

[Ironhead]

OK...I found a pic of the fry when they were first hatched < 72 hours and then we got a couple more to look decent...one from the side and one ventral view...there is a "DO NOT DITURB" sign on the males cave Hope this helps

Mike

[HaakonH]

There's something I don't really understand here...

Males have nose bristles

...this pic by Armbruster shows what looks like a male Hemiancistrus meizospilos:

http://acsi.acnatsci.org/base/getthumbn ... get=133182

...and the pics above of the young shows a fish with some very Ancistrus-like traits, like the tailpattern.

We believe this to be the largest female.

Are there more fish than a single pair of adults in your breeding tank? Is it possible you're keeping both a Hemiancistrus and an Ancistrus species in the same tank...?

Haakon

[The.Dark.One]

There's something I don't really understand here...

Males have nose bristles

...this pic by Armbruster shows what looks like a male Hemiancistrus meizospilos:

http://acsi.acnatsci.org/base/getthumbn ... get=133182

...and the pics above of the young shows a fish with some very Ancistrus-like traits, like the tailpattern.

We believe this to be the largest female.

Are there more fish than a single pair of adults in your breeding tank? Is it possible you're keeping both a Hemiancistrus and an Ancistrus species in the same tank...?

Haakon

We have already flagged this up and we are waiting for a picture of the male.

[Yann]

Hi!!

I agree on what is being said

Fry look like Ancistrus fry and certainly not what you would expect for a Hemiancistrus

There must be 2 genus in the tank...not possible otherway
Cheers
Yann

[tr6]

i caught a couple of these plecos also, along with ancistrus at rio cuarem (sp).

[tr6]

[IMG]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/tirzo13/542.jpg[/IMG]

[img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/tirzo13/542.jpg[/img]

these are the ones i caught, along with Ancistrus.
brought back about 12 of each.

[tr6]

i don't know how to post pix i suppose...

here is the link to my post showing the hemi's i caught in Uruguay.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 26&t=34895

[Martin S]

[Ironhead]

Have not had further spawns...suspect the male is not same species...fry grew to be unrecognizable as either parent...not maintained for AQ trade.

....additional information abvout collection location.
The fish comes from Aguas Blanca's in southern Uruguay not far from Salinas.

Would still like to have additional samples of species for propagation and maintenance.

Ironhead