AquaticRepublic.com - Lamontichthys filamentosus (Loricariidae) All Fishes

Male
Male, showing pectoral spines

All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Lamontichthys filamentosus** (LaMonte, 1935)
Common Names	Kite Pleco Dragesugemalle (Denmark), Filament Stoerwels (Germany)
Type Locality	Near Envira, near mouth of Rio Embira, tributary of River Tarauaca, itself a tributary to Rio Jurua, Amazonas, Brazil.
Type Locality Notes	Latitude and longitude data in original description.
Synonym(s)	Harttia filamentissima, Harttia filamentosa
Pronunciation	lamb ont ICK thiss - fill ah men toe suss
Species Information
Size	167mm or 6.6" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	In all species of Lamontichthys, there is one pectoral fin spine and seven pectoral fin rays on each fin, as opposed to the rest of Loricariinae species which have one pectoral fin spine and only six pectoral fin rays. Even in quite rough shipping this species holds on to its characteristic trailing dorsal, pectoral and caudal fin filaments which set this species apart from congeners. Is reported to have a semi circular (versus semi-oval in at least S. stibaros) lower lip, but as this feature can be sexually dimorphic in many loricariinae, doubt must be cast over the reliability of this characteristic.
General Remarks	Most aquarium specimens are exported out of Iquitos, Peru.
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: Western Amazon River basin. Amazon, Upper Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there) Amazon, Juruá (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the 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	22.0-24.0°C or 71.6-75.2°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Strong current is enjoyed despite the fishes somewhat fragile appearance.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Often this species fades away after a few months of captivity and this is down to feeding habits. It requires fast, oxygenated water but will only eat from flat surfaces. Algae is ''processed'' for the tiny microorganisms within and this is very hard to replicate in the aquarium. Success lies in weaning this fish onto prepared foods and this can be achieved by experimenting with water flow and tank decoration to create areas of strong current and quieter feeding areas. User data.
Furniture	Lots of long sweeping pieces of driftwood, broad flat stones and (especially for younger fish) long flat leaved plants such as Vallisneria.
Compatibility	Peaceful and reasonably well mannered with conspecifics.
Breeding	Evers and Seidel report a captive spawning by Dani Madörin of the Zoo Aquarium, Basel, Switzerland. A short summary; breeding tank was 280l filtered at 4000l/h. The current of the pump was directed to the back of the tank. Here the fish secretively spawned (on the glass) hardly visible behind stones and wood. The spawning group consisted of 5 fish, 4 full size and 1 smaller (12cm) individual that turned out to be the male that spawned. Two weeks before spawning, water changes were made every second day, at which conductivity dropped. Water values at the time of spawning: 27°C, conductivity 50µs/cm, pH 7.3 Around 45 - 50 eggs were laid that ranged in size from 3.7 to 3.9mm. These hatched after 8 days producing 12mm long fry 12mm (+1mm filament).>BR> Eggs and fry bigger than Sturisoma fry with extremely round heads . Unfortunately the youngsters died some weeks after due to an inadvertent oversight on the part of the aquarist. Ref: Evers, H. G. & Seidel, I. 2002 Wels Atlas Band 1 Mergus Verlag, Melle 860 S.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	American Museum Novitates No. 784, pp 5, Fig. 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 4 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	Look up L. filamentosus on PlanetCatfish.com
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	Look up L. filamentosus on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up L. filamentosus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.4.143.405
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 01:38 (species record created: 2001 Apr 21 00:00)