PlanetCatfish.com

This may well be a question for the experts. I just purchased four fish labled as Lasiancistrus scolimnus(sic), from a local shop that just received a new shipment from Columbia, (and I mean the fish kind of shipment). The fish as I can tell are much more likley to be L. tentaculatus.

I based my sexing criteria at the store on overall bodyshape and profusion of opercular odotododes, hoping for two pairs. Now I must qualify this by saying that I am in no way an expert on sexing plecos of any sort other than the friendly BN. All fish seem to be perfectly mature for breeding purposes at 4in+ TL.

Sorry no photos, I don't get digi with it.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated as it would be nice to split them up into two seperate tanks in prospective pairs.

Thanks in advance. (Oh, and I have read the spawning report).

Hi!

Male in breeding season developp small tentacules on the edge of the snout and filament like odontodes in the interopercular region...

Have you read this...http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/265.PHP

Cheers
Yann

According to

Jonathan W. Armbruster Neotropical Ichthyology, 3(4):549-569, 2005 The Loricariid catfish genus Lasiancistrus (Siluriformes) with descriptions of two new species

Sexual dimorphism
Snout of nuptial males almost square (vs. rounded in females and juveniles). Adult males of most species (except Lasiancistrus tentaculatus) with whiskerlike odontodes at anterolateral corner of snout; males of L. tentaculatus with tentacules instead of whiskerlike odontodes along anterior margin of snout. Nuptial males with tentacules longer than their associated odontodes on the pectoral-fin spine.

Also L. scolymus is now synonym of L. schomburgkii

A key is also provided for identifying the different species.

Regards
Niall