Juvenile in foreground, adult female in background
Pair, gravid female to left
Close-up of head
Male (left) / female (right) differences
Fry
Dorsal view
Ventral view
Fry, 11 days old, 7 mm SL
Male
Video
Ventral view (female)
Habitat: Driftwood tangle
Close-up of mouth
Juvenile
Adult
Red pectoral spine after territorial fight
 All Fishes Data Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Panaqolus maccus (Schaefer & Stewart, 1993) |
| Common Names | LDA022, Clown Pleco L104, L162, Clown Panaque, Klovnsugemalle (Denmark), Maccus-Panaqolus (Germany), Ringlet Pleco |
| Type Locality | Río Las Marinas, trib. of Río Portuguesa, Río Orinoco basin, ca. 9°05'N, 69°40'W, Estado Portuguesa, Venezuela. |
| Synonym(s) | Panaque maccus |
| Pronunciation | pan ack oh luss |
| Etymology | Panaqolus: Inelegantly derived from the indigenous term Panaque and in a form that infers a smaller size than that genus. Lorica, Loricare = cuirass of corslet of leather (a suit of armour made of leather). |
| Species Information | |
| Size | 88mm or 3.5" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp. |
| Sexing | Like all members of the genus, males grow elongated interopercular odontodes during the breeding season. Males develop noticeable odontodes along the dorsum (back of the body) as well. Males develop small pointed genital papillae, whereas mature females will have large, rounded, swollen papillae. Additionally, gravid females have noticeably wider bodies between the pectoral and pelvic fins when viewed from above, compared to males. Like all members of the genus, males grow elongated interopercular odontodes during the breeding season. Males develop noticeable odontodes along the dorsum (back of the body) as well. Males develop small pointed genital papillae, whereas mature females will have large, rounded, swollen papillae. Additionally, gravid females have noticeably wider bodies between the pectoral and pelvic fins when viewed from above, compared to males. |
| Habitat Information | |
| Distribution | South America Orinoco (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map. |
| IUCN Red List Category | Least Concern , a distribution map is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020. |
| pH | 6.8 - 7.6 |
| Temperature | 23.0-28.0°C or 73.4-82.4°F (Show species within this range) |
| Other Parameters | P. maccus is found in Andean whitewater rivers flowing through the Llanos into Rio Orinoco. The aquarium water should be clear in colour with neutral values. Measurements taken at the Rio Tinaco in the dry season were temperature 80°F, pH 7.5, and fairly hard at 3,000 mu. In the wet season, the water is cooler, softer and has a neutral pH due to the heavy rains. |
| Husbandry Information | |
| Feeding | This genus feeds on wood, and should have several pieces, preferably several kinds of wood to chew on. Aside from wood, a mainly vegetarian diet is recommended, prepared food such as algae wafers and fresh vegetables, such as courgette (zucchini) and tubers such as potato or sweet potato (yams). User data. |
| Furniture | Rock piles are optional and wood tangles are a must. Plants are not vital and will be nibbled or destroyed. |
| Suggested Tankmates | Works well with most types of peaceful community fish. Can be somewhat territorial towards conspecifics, but given enough hiding spaces, a group can be kept in a suitable size aquarium - roughly requiring a 30 x 30cm area per fish. |
| Breeding | A cave breeder, the male looks after the eggs and fry until the fry are ready to fend for themselves as miniature copies of the adults. |
| Breeding Reports | There is no breeding report. |
| Further Information | |
| Reference | Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters v. 4 (no. 4), pp 335, Figs. 18-19. |
| Registered Keepers | There are 3 registered keepers, view all "my fish" data. |
| 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 13 records of this fish being seen, view them all. |
| More Resources | |
| Forum BBCode | |
 | Look up P. maccus on PlanetCatfish.com |
 | Look up P. maccus on Fishbase |
 | Look up P. maccus on Encyclopedia of Life |
 | Look up P. maccus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| LFS label creator ARN ref:1.4.762.734 | |
| Last Update | Sat Dec 25, 2010 10:17 am (Species record created: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am) |