Summary of pterygoplichthys |
Pronounced | terry gop LICK thees |
Etymology | Greek, pterygion, diminutive of pteryx = wing, fin + Greek, hoplon = weapon + Greek, ichthys = fish. |
Identification | Pterygoplichthys can be identified by the number of rays in the dorsal fin. Ten or more dorsal rays (usually more than 10) indicates that it's a Pterygoplichthys. Most other plecos have 8 or fewer rays (in particular the larger Hypostomus species that are most likely to be confused with Pterygoplichthys). |
Feeding | Omnivorous and a good algae eater, especially when young. |
Tankmates | Almost any medium sized community fish. |
Sexing | Comparison of the genital papilla in mature fish shows the differences in the sexes to the trained eye. In males this is a small yet thick stump which noticeably protrudes from the fish's undercarriage. In females it is less obvious and is recessed or lies flat with the body. |
Breeding | Unreported in captivity, in nature, the male fish occupies a tunnel in soft river bank in which the eggs are laid and guarded. The egg mass of bright orange eggs contains thousands of eggs. |
Size | Smallest 197mm, largest 700mm, average 381mm, most commonly 500mm. All SL. |
Species | There are 23 "species" in the database |
Keepers | 1 species (4.3%) are being kept by registered keepers |
New spp. / time | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1750 | 1770 | 1790 | 1810 | 1830 | 1850 | 1870 | 1890 | 1910 | 1930 | 1950 | 1970 | 1990 | 2010 |
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Distribution |
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Most Kept Species |
1. | (100%) |
Genus Thumbnails |
P. ambrosettii (i:4, k:0) P. chrysostiktos (i:6, k:0) P. disjunctivus (i:8, k:0) P. etentaculatus (i:4, k:0) P. gibbiceps (i:34, k:0) P. joselimaianus (i:16, k:0) P. lituratus (i:6, k:0) P. multiradiatus (i:2, k:0) P. pardalis (i:30, k:0) P. parnaibae (i:10, k:0) P. punctatus (i:4, k:0) P. scrophus (i:13, k:2) P. sp. `RIO CALLARU` (i:3, k:0) P. sp. (1) (i:1, k:0) P. sp. (L154) (i:0, k:0) P. sp. (L164) (i:3, k:0) P. sp. (L313) (i:1, k:0) P. sp. (L347) (i:1, k:0) P. sp. (L472) (i:2, k:0) P. undecimalis (i:0, k:0) P. weberi (i:15, k:0) P. xinguensis (i:1, k:0) P. zuliaensis (i:1, k:0)
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