Origin of species diversity in the catfish genus hypostomus siluriformes. Page designed through the cooperative efforts of interagency itis teams. The species is an the species is an omnivore with a diet varying from plankton to plant matter and invertebrates. This species can pinch and make holes in plastic bags with its pointed teeth. Tropical fish keeping aquarium fish care and resources reference material freshwater fish profiles catfish species common pleco hypostomus plecostomus reply tweet. Not too sure what kind of flake food it is because it is in a plastic bag. Plecostomus tend to be secretive, so caves, hollow logs and other sizeappropriate hiding places should be available in the aquarium. Instream habitat use and management of invasive armored. Hypostomus, plecostomus, pleco and the common name suckermouth catfish are used as generic names by the aquarium industry for species from the genera hypostomus and pterygoplichthys in the usa texas parks and wildlife, 2012.
Hypostomus plecostomus, otherwise known as the original pleco, is often touted for smaller systems, though it is not suitable for them. She identified hypostomus plecostomus, hypostomus hemiurus, and. Hypostomus, plecostomus, pleco and the common name suckermouth catfish are. Epithelial gill cells in the armored catfish, hypostomus. In this study, hypostomus plecostomus, an invasive, algae consuming fish, was sampled from the san marcos river san marcos, tx, the intestines analyzed for the presence of salmonellae by quantitative realtime polymerase chain. Common pleco hypostomus plecostomus tropical fish keeping. Spatial distribution and interaction of four species of the catfish. Members of the family loricariidae are commonly referred to as suckermouth armoured catfishes, armoured catfish, plecos or simply plecs. Trophic ecology of a nonnative population of suckermouth catfish hypostomus plecostomus in a central texas springfed stream pdf. The plecostomus, or suckermouth catfish, is found in fresh and brackish waters and prefers fastflowing streams and rivers with pebbly substrate.
Some loricarids are not normally considered plecostomus, such as farlowella catfish. Pdf karyotype description of possible new species of the. It is a very hardy fish however, and is a nice addition to larger. Fun facts there are over 120 hypostomus plecostomus species. The genus was included in the key to texas fishes of hubbs et al. They are large algae eaters, and to differentiate them from small algae eaters, they are often referred to as plecostomus, often abbreviated as plecos or plecs. This paper describes the case of an unsuccessful introduction of the common pleco hypostomus plecostomus linnaeus, 1758 loricariidae in an. Members of the loricariidae family of suckermouth catfish, plecostomus, or plecos, have specially adapted mouthparts, enabling them to attach to substrate.
The aim of this study was to assess the behavior of red tilapia juveniles oreochromis sp. Ec are involved in the regulation of digestion and probably local gas exchange. Most plecostomus are peaceful fish and prefer to rest or slowly graze over the aquarium bottom, and do an excellent job of cleaning unwanted algae from the bottom and sides of the tank. A specimen lot tu 94345 collected from indian spring, nevada, was determined to be an unidentified species of hypostomus and not h. Generally speaking, common plecos are one of the larger types of plecos out there. There are close to 700 species of catfish in the family loricariidae. Plecostomus catfish hypostomus plecostomus to the family loricariidae natural range south america, and in particular the amazon basin and its tributaries. Plecos are wellknown algae eaters that originated in the rivers of the amazon jungle in south america. Is cultured in ponds in singapore and hong kong for the aquarium trade, where it is very popular ref. It is most active at dusk and during the night and likes to rest on driftwood pieces or in caves when not eating algae. Plecostomus members of the loricariidae family of suckermouth catfish, plecostomus, or plecos, have specially adapted mouthparts, enabling them to attach to substrate. It belongs to the family loricariide and genus hypostomus. Hypostomus plecostomus, the suckermouth catfish or common pleco is a tropical fish belonging. Trophic ecology of a nonnative population of suckermouth.
Hypostomus plecostomus has also been found in nevada, hawaii, and isolated specimens from arizona, colorado, connecticut, louisiana and pennsylvania have been collected. Pdf identity of hypostomus plecostomus linnaeus, 1758. They can attach themselves to hard surfaces using specially adapted mouth parts. Many early accounts of pterygoplichthys in the united states were misidentified as hypostomus. Pdf hypostomus plecostomus maripaz quintero academia. There are many well documented ecological and economic impacts due to introductions of hypostomus plecostomus. Suckermouth catfish hypostomus plecostomus species profile.
Hypostomus initiates air breathing at a higher aquatic o2 tension p w, ow, o2 than does ancistrus 60 v. Due to the huge range of different types of pleco we wanted to give them their own category away from catfish as some aquarists will only keep pleco tropical fish. Hypostomus plecostomus is often referred to as the common pleco, and is very widely available. However, it is also one of the least suited for most home aquariums. Maximum size and longevity some species can get very large with the common variety getting to be almost 46 cm and will outgrow most aquariums under 200 litres. The trinidad pleco or common pleco hypostomus plecostomus is one of the most common and popular plecos in the aquarium trade and is often sold as an algaeeater for all types of aquariums. Dietary histories of herbivorous loricariid catfishes saskatchewan.
The pleco or plecostomus hypostomus plecostomus is a fish that just about everyone is familiar with. Plecostomus pleco fish care, size, life span, tank mates. The giant plecos full article tropical fish hobbyist. In response to progressive aquatic hypoxia, the armoured loricariid catfishes ancistrus chagresi and hypostomus plecostomus become facultative airbreathers and utilize their stomachs as accessory airbreathing organs. Most common plecos are now exported from peru and brazil. Pleco, plecostomus, hypostomus plecostomu catfish guide. I am merging plecostomus into hypostomus plecostomus and found that there are currently many unreferenced assumptions in this article. Mar 25, 2008 not too sure what kind of flake food it is because it is in a plastic bag. Hypostomus soniae pdf hypostomus soniae, a l, blue eyed red fin pleco. The nevada population was reported originally as plecostomus punctatus by minckley 1973 and as hypostomus plecostomus by deacon and williams 1984, but was determined to be an unidentified species of hypostomus not h. By its name, its no surprise this is the most common pleco for fishkeepers. Here follows a textual description of hypostomus plecostomus, to aid in differentiating the species source.
Due to the large number of species, many similar and many undescribed, identification of loricariids is always a problem, and various other species are also sold as common plecos, especially other hypostomus and fish in the genus pterygoplichthys. Pdf ecological impacts of suckermouth catfishes loricariidae in. As i put the fish in the tank, i found the hard way it had spines on its fins. All the fish seem to be eating well and swimming around as if nothing is wrong. A reevaluation of the armoured catfish species of hypostomus in the rio jaguaribe, northeastern brazil, was prompted by the discovery of specimens with pale spots on a dark background collected.
Hypostomus is a genus of catfish in the family loricariidae. An hypostomus plecostomus in uska species han actinopterygii nga syahan ginhulagway ni linnaeus hadton 1758. The liver transcriptome of suckermouth armoured catfish ncbi nih. Pdf twentyone nominal species of hypostomus are recorded in fresh and brackish waters of the guianas from the oyapock to the essequibo rivers. My hypostomus plecostomus is sick freshwater fish disease 20948. Mike fishlore admin social media the common pleco or plecostomus can be a nice fish for the appropriate tank. Identity of hypostomus plecostomus linnaeus, 1758, with an overview of hypostomus species from the guianas teleostei. Araichthys loro, a new genus and species of the suckermouth armored catfish family loricariidae, is described from the rio papagaio and tributaries, rio tapajos basin, mato grosso state, central. This is the catfish most commonly used for getting rid of problem algae in the aquarium. Hypostomus plecostomus is the scientific name for a type of freshwater tropical central and south american fish belonging to the family loricariidae. Plecostomus commeosoni lapsus calami pro commersoni mirandaribeiro. A native to south america, suckermouth catfish hypostomus plecostomus or the pleaco descends from the catfish family.
Loricariidae inhabiting the parana river basin, with the description of a new species. Acipenser plecostomus linnaeus, 1758 hypostomus guacari lacepede, 1803 loricaria flava shaw, 1804 plecostomus bicirrosus gronow, 1854 plecostomus brasiliensis bleeker, 1863 plecostomus plecostomus linnaeus, 1758 pterygoplichthys plecostomus linnaeus, 1758 homonyms hypostomus plecostomus linnaeus, 1758 common names acari in portuguese. Hypostomus plecostomus is the most geographically widespread of the loricariids. Identification of exotic sailfin catfish species pterygoplichthys, loricariidae in taiwan based on morphology and mtdna sequences liwei wu1, chienchin liu2, and simin lin1, 1department of life science, national taiwan normal university, taipei 116, taiwan 2institute of marine biology, national taiwan ocean university, keelung 202, taiwan. There is a lot of confusion as to the precise taxonomic structure of the loricariidae. Pdf cytogenetic analyses were performed in four species of the. Pdf on jan 1, 2014, jan jeffrey hoover and others published. This species occurs naturally in fresh and brackish waters of river mouths on the pacific. Pavement cells are the most abundant type of cell on both filament and lamellar epithelia and there are a great number of mucous and chloride cells between them. They are native to tropical and subtropical south america. Epithelial gill cell morphology and distribution were investigated in the armored catfish, hypostomus cf.
Pdf identity of hypostomus plecostomus linnaeus, 1758, with an. Many people think that common pleco is the name for several different types of plecos, but it is actually the common name for the hypostomus plecostomus species. The genus hypostomus has more than 120 species, and about 50 of them are similar to the species plecostomus in appearance, size, habits and requirements. It is one of the hardiest and most enduring of all catfishes. Hypostomus plecostomus, the suckermouth catfish or common pleco, hypo under, stoma mouth, pleco pleated is a tropical fish belonging to the armored catfish family loricariidae, named for the armorlike longitudinal rows of scutes that cover the upper parts of the head and body the lower surface of head and abdomen is naked. Hypostomus plecostomus details fish of the month tfh. Acipenser plecostomus, hypostomus guacari, loricaria flava, plecostomus bicirrosus, plecostomus brasiliensis, plecostomus plecostomus. Hypostomus plecostomus is a peaceful fish that can be kept in a community tank, but it does not get along with its own species and can become aggressively territorial. I have changed the water 50% twice since i first posted my problem.
Hypostomus plecostomus pwk edition date 10312007 researched and written by the friends of the rosamond gifford zoo education volunteers predators. There are over 120 other hypostomus species that are sold as hypostomus plecostomus. Oh, tank is a suckermouth catfish hypostomus plecostomus. Hosted by the usgs core science analytics and synthesis. Plecos attach themselves to hard surfaces with specially adapted mouth parts.
An extremely hardy specimen, the plecostomus is often added to an aquarium as a clean up fish. These fish can grow to be around 1523cm in length, in some cases. The history of invasiveness for hypostomus plecostomus is high. Longnose gar, lepisosteus osseus 1, suckermouth catfish, hypostomus plecostomus 2, raphael catfish, platydoras costatus 3 and spotted catfish, corydoras punctatus 4. I recently bought a fairly large pleco to put in my aquarium. Its appearance varies based on its surroundings and environment. Smallest 35mm, largest 690mm, average 234mm, most commonly 300mm. Common plecos suckermouth catfish hypostomus plecostomus. Profiles tropical pleco the largest species of catfish are the plecostomus or as they are more commonly known pleco. Pdf hypostomus nematopterus, a new species of mailed. These catfish are sometimes referred to as janitor fish for their ability to clean tank algae. The tank cleaner hypostomus plecostomus can outcompete native biota. Isbrucker and others published hypostomus nematopterus, a new species of mailed catfish from the oyapock river system, french guiana pisces, siluriformes. No translation available for our species profile of hypostomus plecostomus suckermouth catfish.
Hypostomus plecostomus suckermouth catfish aquainfo. Common pleco hypostomus plecostomus the free freshwater. Unsuccessfull introduction of the common pleco hypostomus. Plecostomus, pleco, or plec is the common name of several species of freshwater loricariid catfish commonly sold as aquarium fish these include. Origin edit edit source throughout northern south america and trinidad. Due to the number of species in the genus, identification is very difficult without exact provenance of the specimen. Nocturnal, territorial, and huge, this fish is ill suited to most aquaria. It is also used as part of the common names of various similar species of loricariids.
Hypostomus plecostomus and hypostomus punctatus are used interchangeably in most aquarium stores. Hypostomus robinii is regarded as harmless to humans and. Established populations easily expand their range in favorable conditions. This species can pinch with its pointed teeth and also make holes in plastic bags. Hypostomus has officially replaced the generic name plecostomus. The plecostomus belongs to the family loricariidae, and the genus hypostomus.
You see many at the local fish store, anywhere from two inches to a foot. This erstwhile workhorse is also a monster plec, with most topping out at a foot in lengthbut capable of reaching nearly twice this dimension. An hypostomus plecostomus in nahilalakip ha genus nga hypostomus, ngan familia nga loricariidae. For example, the common pleco, hypostomus plecostomus, can grow to over 12 and will eventually need an aquarium of at least 75 gallons, while otocinclus will be perfectly content in a 10 gallon tank. Trophic ecology of a nonnative population of suckermouth catfish hypostomus plecostomus in a central texas springfed stream katrina l. They seem to go well with the fish in the tank, which are 2 oscars and 2 mollies don. Pdf effect of probiotic microorganisms isolated from. Also found throughout the orinoco basin, although some authors believe that orinoco specimens may represent a different species. Unfortunately, many beginning aquarists do not realize how big this fish will grow, nor do they realize that as the fish ages, it may become more agressive, especially to other plecos. Acipenser plecostomus, plecostomus plecostomus, pterygoplichthys plecostomus, hypostomus guacari, loricaria flava, plecostomus bicirrosus, plecostomus brasiliensis.
985 479 160 973 680 555 859 40 1142 1493 210 1017 1303 660 1337 705 802 95 754 1142 1000 235 101 277 291 425 1521 1412 714 902 422 682 731 793 1369 1055 750