PlanetCatfish.com

Needing help identifying this black pleco with white spots. Resembles gold nugget but has white spots insted of yellow. It was sold as peppermint but favors snowball more

Seems like L253 to me...
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/im ... ge_id=2902

A l 253 is yellow in color unlike this pleco which is clearly black with white spots. Still seeking identity

my guess would be hypancistrus contradens

or maybe L-142

I would be wary of placing too much emphasis on the colour of the spots as this can be impacted on by the fishes health, the diet & the water conditions.

What water parameters do you have? I'm thinking maybe hard & alkaline (as it looks like a tanganyikan cichlid in the background)

I wouldn't rule out .

Getting some better photos, including one of the mouth would help a lot.

I agree. I don't have L253 but it looks like it could have white spots. IMO, it's not H. contradens or L142 either.

I also want to point out that Heribertogj works with plecs in the Xingu, so he probably is pretty accurate.

My first instinct was , also. Might be the prominent nares?

Aquafrontosa wrote:A l 253 is yellow in color unlike this pleco which is clearly black with white spots. Still seeking identity

I'd go with and certainly a species of . Colour of the spots is variable.

Jools