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Can anyone tell me what the different is between these two types of plecos? And can they interbreed?

Ancistrus sp.Pucallpa

I do not really know to much about it but apparently it has been imported from Northeastern Peru

Pucallpa is likely the collection or distribution point for the fish

Pucallpa (Quechua: puka hallpa, "red earth") is a city in eastern Peru located on the banks of the Ucayali River, a major tributary of the Amazon River. It is the capital of the Ucayali region, the Coronel Portillo Province and the Calleria District.

Ancistrus sp.3 is a fish of possibly mixed origins that has been in the hobby for a long time

There is a possibility the two could hybridize and I would recommend keeping them separate

Birger

I can't see any difference between Pucallpa and sp3. Not debating for the proposition that they are the same but neither would I be surprised if they were one and the same fish. Much of the water around Pucallpa is relatively hard, for Amazonia, and pH is often 7.0 +/- a few tenths. That could have made them very adaptable as an aquarium fish as are the common Ancistrus sp 3.
There is also an albino form of Ancistus sp. Pucallpa.

It does make one wonder.

jjkolodz wrote:Can anyone tell me what the different is between these two types of pl*cos? And can they interbreed?

The simple answer is that because we don't really know what is, we can't say what it is or is not different or the same as! Opinion is divided on interbreeding but my opinion is that they may do given the right mix of male and females.

Jools

This page clearly shows sp(3): http://swisstropicals.com/Ancistrus%20s ... allpa.html

I don't know if that's the same or a different species that Ingo Seidel has identified.

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Mats

This page clearly shows sp(3): http://swisstropicals.com/Ancistrus%20s ... allpa.html

I don't know if that's the same or a different species that Ingo Seidel has identified.

All the more reason to keep them distinctly separate for now until it can be found if they are the same...I know I look at it and think maybe there is some creative marketing involved

Birger

Sure, there are certainly plenty different "same-looking" Ancistrus species for there to be a "twin" of A. sp(3) out there somewhere else.

If the fish is definitely wild-caught, it's UNLIKELY to be A. sp(3) - since we haven't actually seen wild-caught of this species [and I'm working under the condition that A. sp(3) is actually ONE species, rather than a hybrid]. The theory I believe in [at the present time] about A. sp(3) is that they are found in northern Venezuela, which would explain why they are not exported any more. Fish coming out of Peru is definitely not likely to be originating from Venezuela [unless, of course, someone bred and spread them ...]

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Mats