PlanetCatfish.com

I am not sure what species I have. I originally thought I had . But, after looking at the ID tag where I got these fish from they are being sold as . So who is wrong me or the LFS?
Also this one has "spikes" on his/her gills that he/she can extend
A few pics to help with the ID.....

Your ID is correct ie the fish is an albino common

I agree, your fish looks like my albino L144 Common Ancistrus sp.
A female I believe.
Don

Hi,

donpetty wrote:I agree, your fish looks like my albino L144 Common Ancistrus sp.

you are contradicting yourself.
L 144 is no albino.
L 144 is not a variant of the common ancistrus.

The picture does not show L 144 but an albino common ancistrus.
But you're right, it's a female.

Cheers,

kamas88 wrote:L 144 is not a variant of the common ancistrus.

A lot of people believe what is commonly sold as L144 is in fact a variant of the common Ancistrus. The existence of longfin "L144" points in that direction too.

If it is/was a different species then at least a lot of hybridization was done.

Hi,

yes and no.

It's true that xanthoristic common ancistrus are very often sold as "L 144" which they are not.
At least here in Germany I have so far not yet seen a single true L 144 in the shops.
Sometimes even albinos are sold as "L 144".

L 144 is a different species and there was not hybridization with common bristlenoses involved.
It was one wildcaught xanthoric male and it was crossed backed with normally coloured wildcaught females (from Paraguay).
I have never heard of longfinned (true) L 144.

These are two different species that only look similar as both have the same genetic defect.

Cheers,

That sounds plausible, but then where are the true L144?

I agree that its the common ancistrus,
and the listing on PC does have the L144 as being the albino variant.
Which is why I said ancistrus sp.
I am NO expert in the identification of L numbered fishes by any means there are MANY experts here.
However looking up L144 here on this site brings up a picture of the
fish Ghostarcher has. Right or wrong... Call it what you will..
from what I have read and followed on this site there is a lot of identification issues with this fish.
Don

L144 in the cat-elog has 2 entries.

One is the true L144 and one is the xanthoristic form of the common Ancistrus. The last one is not the same as an albino! Take a look at the eyes.

Red eyes = albino

Black eyes = xanthoristic commom = false 144
or
= true L144 (very unlikely)

Agreed.
So..
What is his fish and all of the others commonly sold as L144.
ancistrus sp.?

Don

Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus, albino???

Pretty sure we've already talked ad nauseum about the identity of true L144 vs. the leucistic forms that are normally sold as L144 in prior threads...

What we're seeing here is an albino common. The eyes are red.

donpetty wrote:What is his fish

Albino common

donpetty wrote:all of the others commonly sold as L144

Xanthoristic common

Ok, again I submit that you are correct that his fish (and mine) are "Common Albino"
But what are they scientifically?
I ask because I do not know; I only know what they are sold as and you have both established that
they are NOT L144.
I appreciate your expertise here.
Don

I don't want to get drawn into this debate, but at the CSG convention two years ago, the Ancistrus cf L144 (lemon blue-eyes / black eyes or whatever you describe them - but not red eyed albino and not long finned) were presented in the flesh and determined (by Ingo and others who were present) to be a distinct species from the common A. sp.3 cf cirrhosus. They were therefore termed A.sp.4.

So far as I and others are concerned, the species commonly called L144 (A.sp.4) is distinct from A. sp.3, having different proportions, body shape, adult size, white edges to caudal and dorsal and breeding true (very rarely do you get any pigmented fry). There's not much more to say about its origin.

Common albino bristlenose (red-eyed, normal or long finned)are A.sp.3

Where's Mats P when you need him!

Mark.

Mark, thank you very much, that's all I was asking.
I have seen them called so many things.
I appreciate your wisdom.
Don

The common bristlenose remains undescribed to science, therefore it isn't anything scientifically.

Hi suckermouth;
so does it have an "L" number?
Don

donpetty wrote:Hi suckermouth;
so does it have an "L" number?
Don

It doesn't.

Ok thanks.

CoryWally wrote:at the CSG convention two years ago, the Ancistrus cf L144 (lemon blue-eyes / black eyes or whatever you describe them - but not red eyed albino and not long finned) were presented in the flesh and determined (by Ingo and others who were present) to be a distinct species from the common A. sp.3 cf cirrhosus ... So far as I and others are concerned, the species commonly called L144 (A.sp.4) is distinct from A. sp.3, having different proportions, body shape, adult size, white edges to caudal and dorsal and breeding true (very rarely do you get any pigmented fry).

Hi Mark. This is the first I've heard of this. I actually DNA sequenced a yellow black-eyed bristlenose (i.e. false L144), and found it to be identical to the common bristlenose. See this thread here.