Could this be Ancistrus claro?

[Melander]

Spotted these in a LFS and the pattern of the female made me think about Ancistrus claro, I'm not sure if it is or if the mouth size/shape is right. The male is quite different and har more of a uniform dark colour.

They both look like young adults to me and are of small size, 6-7cm TL so I would guess they are a small sized species. The males colour and branched bristles does not seem like claro features to me but as far as I know this is a very variable species.

I would appreciate views on these fish and what they could be.

Female:

Male:

Andreas

[Birger]

Not sure what they are but I am familiar with A. claro and these are not that.

Birger

[Melander]

Thank you for the quick reply Birger, that rules one species out.

I am intrigued by what they can be.

Andreas

[jac]

Agreed.

Ancistrus claro

also have a distinctive mouth.

[Melander]

Thanks for the comment jac!
The body shape looks wrong too, these are very chunky.

Anyway, I think these little fishes look different enough for there to be a chance of getting an id.. The pattern and colour of the female combined with the short body seems unusual to me.

Maybe they need to grow out a bit more first.

Andreas