dark green/black pleco i.d (quite feisty)

[mi-tatsu]

Bought from wharf aquatics as "S.P UNKNOWN" (approx 6") he'd been there a while so as i had some room in my newer tank i thought why not,had him for 3 weeks and he's well adjusted and eating etc would just like to know what he is??he's in with my large royal "boggy" and they get on pretty well yet when i tried him with a 15" common he was pushing the big fella out the way

[The.Dark.One]

It's difficult to tell using that photo as it's not clear enough really. Possibly a Parancistrus, Baryancistrus or Oligancistrus sp.

[mi-tatsu]

ah thanks, will try and get a better pic of him (i say him as a figure of speech as i have no idea on m/f either)

oh just a bit more info he's very light colour underneath and his mouth is huge and squareish shaped

[Silurus]

Looks like

Parancistrus aurantiacus

to me.

[mi-tatsu]

[Silurus]

With the clearer pictures, I'd say you have

Pterygoplichthys lituratus

, or something similar.

[The.Dark.One]

Yeah, the pattern looks that way but I'm seeing what looks like a Hypostomus shaped head and body. How many dorsal rays has it got?

[racoll]

This one seems to look different in all the photos.

mi-tatsu, when you take the shots, try to take them at 90 degrees to the glass, so you will minimise optical distortion.

Getting a shot of the mouth will really help, as will counting the dorsal fin rays.

In that second picture you posted, I would agree with The.Dark.One that it looks like a

Hypostomus

, and with that humped back, it looks like one of the wood-eating H. cochliodon group.

[mi-tatsu]

hi again thanks again for the replies so far i will get a better pic in the morn as he and a few friends are moving into their new 800ltr tank we have been preparing today

as to rays it seems he has either 7 or 8 but no more

[The.Dark.One]

as to rays it seems he has either 7 or 8 but no more

Then yes I think it is a Hypostomus (Cochliodon subgenus/group)

[mi-tatsu]

and underside

[grokefish]

Well thats wacky!!

If you had posted that pic first I would have said chaetostoma straight away!

some kind of Dolichancistrus?

[taksan]

Whatever it is .... its very nice indeed.

[The.Dark.One]

Mmm. Weird. Now its not looking like Hypostomus!!!

I'm back to thinking Baryancistrus again looking at the mouth and teeth, although it is similar to Chaetostoma in this regard too! Weird.

[racoll]

Oh, it certainly doesn't have the teeth of one of the H. cochliodon group (below), and that square mouth doesn't seem to fit with the other Hypostomus either.

Interesting.

Hemiancistrus

?

[Borbi]

Hi,

strongly reminds me of what I know as Hypostomus sp. "Rio Sao Francisco":



Sorry for the crappy pic, but it´s the only one I have showing the "settled" coloration.
There were also featured by Aquarium Glaser (with better pictures, but in stress coloration; but they have a picture of the dentition of a juvenile):
http://www.aquariumglaser.de/de/archiv.php?news_id=159

Cheers, Sandor

[MatsP]

Looks like Borbi has found a match...

--
Mats

[mi-tatsu]

Fantastic

Thanks Borbi

and thank you to everyone else for their input

lets hope its him tho the german site says 5-6cm my fella is approx 7 inch

[The.Dark.One]

The mouth is a match but I'm not convinced about the head. Anyway. It is close. Also not convinced the fish in the link is a Hypostomus?

[MatsP]

I certainly agree that the placement in Hypostomus must be seen as tentative at best. Body-shape may well be a match, but dentition/shape of mouth is an important key for Loricariidae,and it's not even close...

--
Mats

[DutchFry]

to me, this fish looks closest to what i know as Parancistrus, most likely aurantiacus.

[racoll]

to me, this fish looks closest to what i know as Parancistrus, most likely aurantiacus.

It does look like one of these, but P. aurantiacus has a convex caudal fin and huge gills openings. This fish has a concave caudal and small gill openings.

I certainly agree that the placement in Hypostomus must be seen as tentative at best. Body-shape may well be a match, but dentition/shape of mouth is an important key for Loricariidae,and it's not even close...

The mouth is a match but I'm not convinced about the head. Anyway. It is close. Also not convinced the fish in the link is a Hypostomus?

Hypostomus are a pretty heterogeneous bunch, so there are no fixed definitions of dentition within the group. Borbi's fish does look very similar. Whether either are Hypostomus or Hemiancistrus, for example, is hard to say. They are distinguished by the absence of evertible cheek plates in Hypostomus, but it's quite hard to make these out from photos.