AquaticRepublic.com - Neoplecostomus microps (Loricariidae) All Fishes

Female
Male
Male, close-up of epidermal growth on pelvic fin
Female, close-up of single anal/urogenital pore
Male, close-up of separate anal & urogenital pores
Eggs of different developmental ages under stone

All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Neoplecostomus microps** (Steindachner, 1877)
Common Names	LDA034, Microps-Neoplecostomus (Germany) Small Eyed Lobe Pleco, Småøjet Kvastsugemalle (Denmark)
Type Locality	Rio de Janeiro (possibly Rio Parahyba), Brazil.
Etymology	Genus: Greek, neos = new + Greek, plekos,-eos = twisted This specific epithet refers to its small(micro=small) eyes(-ops=eyes).
Species Information
Size	102mm or 4" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Sexing	Male N. microps show an epidermal growth along the pelvic-fin spine, forming a flap that projects toward the side of the body; this flap was observed in juvenile males 32 mm SL and larger. No females showed this epidermal expansion. Another difference observed between the sexes was in the genital area. In females, the anal and urogenital pores were very close, with the middle of the papillae merged, giving the appearance of a single opening. The males showed a separation between the anal and urogenital pores, featuring two distinct and defined openings. Males are generally larger than females. In a survey of sexually mature wild adults, the smallest female and smallest male found were 58.0 mm and 64.0mm, respectively.
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: Paraíba do Sul River basin. Rio de Janeiro State Rivers, Paraíba do Sul (click on these areas to find other species found there) Rio de Janeiro State Rivers, Macaé (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 2021.
Temperature	11.5-25.5°C or 52.7-77.9°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	From Brito et al. (2016, Biota Neotrop. vol.16, no.2): At the capture sites, water temperature ranged from 11.6 - 25.3°C, electrical conductivity from 12.2 - 73.2 µS/cm and dissolved oxygen from 7.45 - 10.78 mg/L.
Husbandry Information
Furniture	In nature, adults and subadults are found in rapids flowing over stones on sandy or muddy substrates. Juveniles below 32mm SL are found almost exclusively in planted stream margins (in nature, mostly Zingiberaceae) with slower currents.
Breeding	From Brito et al. (2016, Biota Neotrop. vol.16, no.2): In nature, spawns were found in two sites in the Macaé River basin in November and January, during the rainy season, exclusively in rapid stretches. Of the total of eight spawns found, six were in the upper Macaé River and two in the Boa Esperança River, a left tributary of the middle Macaé River. The characteristics of the sites were similar, with the fast-flowing portion associated with stones and boulders (i.e., headwaters). Eggs were found attached to the undersides of stones, in cavities formed in the river bottom. Brito et al. (2016) suggest that adults choose stones as spawning sites based upon the presence of cavities or gaps (formed between the stone and riverbed) appropriate for the surface, size and position relative to the current. Adults seem to prefer large, flat stones over smaller rounder stones. The number of eggs per stone ranged from 62 to 375. Eggs in different stages of development were found on the same stone. The egg colors ranged from yellow-gold, in eggs full of yolk in early development, to brown, in eggs with pigmented embryos in an advanced stage of development.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe v. 74 (1. Abth.), pp 688 [130], Pl. 13.
Registered Keepers	There is no registered keeper.
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Last Update	2022 Feb 03 10:58 (species record created: 2004 Aug 11 00:00)