Please ID my catfish

[MiguelPeru]

Hello Guys
One of my fisherman got this pleco recently, please help me to identificate.
I got before from Ucayali river some Liposarcus but this one it is from other river in other region and the color of body and patterns are really nice and differents than other common Liposarcus.
By the way it is from PERU.

Miguel

[Suckermouth]

Looks similar to what is called

Pterygoplichthys ambrosettii

in the CateLog.

[MatsP]

The known distribution of P. ambrosetti isn't right for Peru, however. Doesn't mean that it can't be, just that it's a bit out of range. Do you know which river it's actually from?

--
Mats

[Back]

Pattern on the head and pectoral fin spine doesn't seem to fit with ambrosetti. Rather more like a

Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus

but that's not either likely locationwise is it?

Or a very bleak

Pterygoplichthys pardalis

like on the following picture.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/im ... ge_id=6501
However there are differencies regarding pattern there as well.

[DutchFry]

These species are so closely related to each other, makes it hard to get a firm ID. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if they are cross breeding with each other as well, which makes it even more difficult.

I would say this is a very nicely patterned P. pardalis and it is probably a male, since it has some orange on the pectorals and the caudal. I believe I have read somewhere that this orange color is only displayed by the males, probably for attracting females to his breeding cave.

nice fish