Found these Chaetostoma today at LFS - need a new L number?

[bekateen]

Hi All,

EDIT: Until they can be considered for a new L-number or get a proper identification to a known fish, these are now cataloged as

Chaetostoma sp(6)

.

Today I found three unusual Chaetostoma mixed in with a shipment sold as

Chaetostoma formosae

. Some fish in the tank were C. formosae for sure, plus there were several of its most common contaminant,

Chaetostoma dorsale

. But then there were also these three fish. Their their body shape and color were instantaneously distinctive:

As for body shape, these three fish were more elongate and thin (not thin as in emaciated, but thin as in body proportion) in the body compared to both C. formosae and C. dorsale in the tank with them.

As for body colors:

• Body is a tan base color with a dark slate gray coloring over it.
  • The tan base color stands out because these fish were in a tank with
    Chaetostoma formosae
    and
    Chaetostoma dorsale
    , the former having an olive base color and the latter having a dark slate gray base color.
• The head has a darker slate gray base color with light tan spots. The tan spots on the head are small, densely-packed, and irregular in shape. They remind me of mosaic color tiles in artwork, or the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
  • On the dorsal lip of the largest individual, the tan mosaic spots are much larger (3-4x larger) than on the head and are separated by greater distances of the dark gray color.
  • On the smaller specimens, the spots on the dorsal lip are more uniform in size relative to other head spots.
• The armor plates have pale gray diagonal lines (oriented from anterio-dorsal to posterio-ventral) along the crests of the armor plates. Most of the lines are broken near the midline of the body.
• All three fish showed five prominent saddles (in the tan base color, not the light gray color of the stripes). The most anterior saddle was located at the base of the dorsal fin spine, and the most posterior was at the end of the caudal peduncle, immediately before the tail. I presume the saddles are exaggerated in stress coloration, but I will wait to see if the saddles fade when the fish adapt to my tank.
  • The combination of pale gray lines and tan saddles creates an irregular camouflage pattern which is not easy to describe. In some ways, it reminds me of the random camouflage of
    Peckoltia otali
    .
• Dorsal, pectoral, pelvic and caudal fins are banded, at least along their fin rays. The membranes on the dorsal, pectoral, pelvic fins are hyaline/transparent. The caudal fin is more strongly banded on its rays, but I believe the caudal fin membrane is hyaline also (but the fish did not want to expand their caudal fins for me, so I cannot confirm this).
• These fish show little or no iridescence. When I used a flash with my camera, there was a hint of gold iridescence on the face (where the tan spots are). But otherwise, none. Although these three fish share some similarity to C. dorsale, the latter species has very strong iridescence when photographed with flash cameras.

It seems to me that one individual has pelvic fin membranes that extend beyond the pelvic fin spines, so I wonder if this individual will be male. Otherwise, I see no sexual signs.

I will try to track down the source and get more information on these (and more fish too). Do we have a new L number here?

Cheers, Eric

[bekateen]

More photos. Dang I like these fish.

And they were only $7 each because they were intermingled with C. formosae!

This is why I love by-catch.

Cheers, Eric

[Shane]

In the photo showing all three, side by side, the fish on the left is clearly a male. Note the swelling along the outer edge of the rostrum. I am currently on vacation in South Africa and do not have any access to books, but I would check the Chaetostoma spp from both the Catatumbo and Magdalena basins for a possible identification as well. These may have been dumped in with the Villavicencio spp at an export facility.
-Shane

[bekateen]

I would check the Chaetostoma spp from both the Catatumbo and Magdalena basins for a possible identification as well. These may have been dumped in with the Villavicencio spp at an export facility.

Thanks, Shane!

Interesting you mention Magdalena, because the single photo I saw in the CLOGs which I thought was the best match is that of

Chaetostoma cf_fischeri

, which I dismissed because it was in the Magdalena.

In the photo showing all three, side by side, the fish on the left is clearly a male. Note the swelling along the outer edge of the rostrum.

The fish on the left? In the dorsal view of all three? Hmmm, I guess I don't know what that should look like. Do you refer to the pale halo along the margin of the rostrum on the individual on the left? I was thinking perhaps the largest specimen (on right, with irregular spotting pattern) had a more enlarged snout; and yet, it's the fish in the middle which appears to have pelvic fin membranes extending beyond the tip of the pelvic spines (visible in same photo, compared to large fish at right which has more of a square edge to it).

I have a lot to learn about Chaetostoma.

Cheers, Eric

[Mol_PMB]

Lovely fish, Eric, and a great find. Best of luck with them.
Paul

[bekateen]

Thanks, Paul!

So far, so good. I've seen them eating and out & about.

One thing that concerns me, if they are something like fischeri (or cf. fischeri), they get 300mm SL!!! I've never bought a fish over 130mm SL max size. Yikes!

Cheers, Eric

[bekateen]

P.S., If these really do grow to 300mm SL, I'm gonna need a bigger tank!

[Shane]

Do you refer to the pale halo along the margin of the rostrum on the individual on the left?

Yes, that is the one. Male Chaetostoma, in the spawning season, develop a swollen rostrum or "fat lip." I assume it is somewhat similar to the tentacles male Ancistrus develop, but it has not been commented on much in the literature.
I would not worry too much about max size as they are already sexually mature at their current size.

Good section on sexing this genus here:

www.scielo.br/pdf/paz/v51n26/01.pdf

-Shane

[bekateen]

Thanks Shane. I'll have a closer look at them when I get back to work Wednesday.

Merry Christmas,
Eric

[bekateen]

Hi @Shane,

Here is a high resolution copy (taken by camera, not just zoomed by me digitally) of the dorsal view photo shown above. I've cropped each fish's head and rotated to be approximately upright and none are zoomed, so they are all shown to scale relative to one another.

If fish #1 has the enlarged rostrum, what about fish #3? Or does the rostrum of #3 look large just because it's on the largest fish?

Thanks, Eric

[bekateen]

Hi All,

Here's a composite of videos of these new fish. Enjoy!

Cheers, Eric

Direct link to YouTube video: Another Mystery Rubberlip Pleco - Chaetostoma sp. (6)

[bekateen]

Besides

Chaetostoma cf_fischeri

, the single photo of

Chaetostoma sp`rio_cauca`

reproduces the camouflage pattern on the flank and caudal peduncle on my fish. In life, the dark broken diagonal lines of my fish form upright figure 8 shapes on the body sides, with light gray/tan colors filling the open spaces within the 8's.

Cheers, Eric

[bekateen]

This may seem like an idiot post, but so far nobody has died and they seem to be doing well. I am so excited about these Chaetostoma and the Chaetostoma sp. `Huanuco` (viewtopic.php?f=5&t=47061) that I got a few weeks before.

[Fundulopanchax76]

You are maniac ! lol (Just like me !)

[bekateen]

Chaetostoma sp(6)

Update photos. These are all doing well. Still hope to find more, but will need to wait till LFS gets another shipment.

[Jools]

Random tiny tip, but if you hold the fish by the pectoral fin on the other side of the body to the side facing the camera; then you get a better view of headshape, the camera will be more likely to focus on the fish and also the dorsal fin will erect fully.

Cheers,

Jools

Nice fish!

[bekateen]

Random tiny tip, but if you hold the fish by the pectoral fin on the other side of the body to the side facing the camera; then you get a better view of headshape, the camera will be more likely to focus on the fish and also the dorsal fin will erect fully.

Thank you. I'll give that a try.