All FishesLoricariidaeHypostominaePeckoltia  |  | 

Hop to next section All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name Peckoltia sabaji  Armbruster, 2003
Common Names LDA002, Para Pleco
L075, L124, L301, Sabajs Sugemalle (Denmark)
Type Locality 5.9 kilometers west-southwest of village of Sand Creek, 02.96656°, -059.56943°, Essequibo River drainage, Rupununi (Region 9), Guyana.
Synonym(s) Hemiancistrus sabaji
Pronunciation peck OLE tea ah - sah BAY eye
Etymology Peckoltia: named after Gustavo Peckolt, member of the Natural History Commission of Rondon. The species is named for Dr. Mark Henry Sabaj Perez, Collection Manager of Ichthyology, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 250mm or 9.8" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification See CotM article link below.
Sexing Peckoltia sabaji are difficult to sex. It is more reliable when they are conditioned well but still takes a good eye. Well-conditioned males will have longer cheek odontodes and some on their pectoral fins, but not a lot and only slightly larger than the females. Males also have slightly larger fins than that of the females.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution Guyana, Essequibo drainage, Venezuela/Colombia, middle reaches of Orinoco drainage, northern Brazil, Rio Negro drainage and river of Para State flowing north into the Amazon downstream of the confluence with the Rio Negro.
Amazon, Lower Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Amazon, Middle Amazon (Solimoes), Negro (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Orinoco, Middle Orinoco (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, Essequibo (click on these areas to find other species found there)

Log in to view data on a map.
IUCN Red List Category Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020.
pH 6.0 - 7.6
Temperature 24.0-26.0°C or 75.2-78.8°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters Flowing water preferred but not mandatory.
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Feeding A real omnivore; will eat frozen bloodworm, sinking pellets, flakes and green vegetables. Feed unsettled or new fish at, or just before, night / lights out. User data.
Furniture Provide plenty of rocks for hiding. Tank does not need to be well-planted. Low rounded rocks and close to the ground driftwood crevices are favoured. This pleco doesn't commonly attach to the glass or venture very high in the water column.
Compatibility A relatively gentle pleco even when at its maximum size. Appears to do well with its own kind as well as other plecos of a similar temperament / dietary requirements.
Suggested Tankmates Other small to medium sized catfish, a good pleco to keep with Corydoras or Brochis. Seems to prefer the company of smaller more active fish rather than larger ones. Double figure sized shoals of active tetras or even cyprinids seem to have the most calming effect and inspire confidence in these plecos to make daytime sorties in search of food.
Breeding They are sexually mature around 13-14 cm SL but there are only small differences between the sexes. The male grows just a little longer interopercular and pectoral spine odontodes. The latter are small compared to many other species in the same genus. The females get very plump when gravid and her genital papilla will look round and be very visible, males stay slender and elongated in their body. They are cave spawners and the main problem is to get both sexes and a pair that match each other in terms of size and temperament as the spawning is remarkably gentle in comparison to most other species especially Hypancistrus.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Zootaxa No. 344, pp 6, Figs. 2-4.
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
Wishlists Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list.
There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars!
There are 16 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode
Look up PlanetCatfish.com Look up P. sabaji on PlanetCatfish.com
Look up on Fishbase Look up P. sabaji on Fishbase
Look up on Encyclopedia of Life Look up P. sabaji on Encyclopedia of Life
Look up on Global Biodiversity Information Facility Look up P. sabaji on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
Peckoltia sabaji QR code LFS label creator
Last Update 2023 May 21 00:24 (species record created: 2001 May 05 00:00)