Leporacanthicus sp. “1”

Order: Siluriformes
Suborder: Loricarioidei
Family: Loricariidae
Subfamily: Hypostominae
Genus: Leporacanthicus
Species: not described yet, possible hybrid

This big growing Leporacanthicus is only known from one single group, kept in Greece.
The overall body shape reminds of Leporacanthicus triactis "L91". With around 25 cm also this Leporacanthicus reaches big sizes. It has a robust, short body, with a big head and big fins. Odontodes can be seen in the head region of males.

Even though this pleco shares a lot of similarities with "L91" it shows a different coloration. A dark brown to black coloration can be seen all over the body. On top of that, adult specimens show white to pink dots surrounded by greyish worm lines. In the dorsal- and caudal fin, these spots are more orange, similar to the pattern of L. triactis "L91".

The offspring of those homogeneous looking parents, have a wide spread phenotype. Some babies turned out to look like little "L91", some look almost like "L240" with a black coloration and white dots and some look similar to the parents. In some cases, there is even offspring with huge white stains on a dark black coloration.

This big spread of phenotype is in most cases a sign for hybridization and would explain why the babies look quite different to the parents. Our guess is, that it could be a hybrid between Leporacanthicus triactis "L91" and Leporacanthicus sp. "L240 / L241", which live all in the same river system of the Orinoco in Venezuela. It is known that Leporacanthicus spp. can hybridize and probably also do in the wild.

Only time will tell how the offspring will develop and if they will change their coloration and pattern, to look like the parents, or if they keep their individual look.

The behaviour is very similar to other big Leporacanthicus spp..
Males can be aggressive towards other males. Also this pleco can damage silicone joints with its "vampire teeth", which  are mainly used for cracking up mussels and snails.

Where this pleco comes exactly from is not known, but it is thought to be from the Rio Orinoco.

There the water can reach high temperatures of over 30 °C. Slightly acidic and soft water flow in this river.

Also here a strong current and a lot of oxygen is observable.

Leporacanthicus sp. "1" is a carnivorous fish. In captivity this species can be fed with frozen food , like mossels, shrimps, krill, artemia and mosquito larvae but also with processed food like Carnivore sticks, Snail soft granulates, Mussel sticks etc. This species also really likes aquatic snails, and cracks open their houses, to get to the soft snail-flesh.

A tank for a group of this pleco shouldn't be chosen to small. It is possible to keep 3 - 5 pieces in a tank over 150 cm length.

Dimmed light, an air stone, a strong streaming pump, a heater and an effective filter should be installed, to keep this pleco happy and healthy. The silicone joints and the cable of the heater should be protected against the pointy teeth of this species.

27 - 30 °C and slightly acidic and soft water gets this fish in breeding mood. Weekly, better two weekly water changes of at least 50% are very welcomed.

The tank should be structured well, to avoid inner special aggression. Especially males defend bigger territories and attack each other with their sharp teeth, which can result in white bite marks, scratches, ripped fins or eyes damages. Always add more caves than plecos in different sizes into the tank. On top of those, stone plates and driftwood create shadow and help to see these fish a little bit more over the day outside of the hiding spots. As substrate quartz sand or gravel can be used.

This fish works also well for community tanks, if the other fishes are robust enough. Don't put them together with sand dwelling species like Pseudohemiodon, Hemiloricaria etc. or Corydoras. Those can be severely damaged by Leporacanthicus.

Adult specimens can be sexed the same way like Leporacanthicus triactis "L91".

Leporacanthicus sp. "1" is a cave spawner. The male fertilizes the layed egg batch in the cave after several days of tunneling with the female. It protects the egg batch till the fry hatch and eat up their yolk sacs.

This pleco has been successfully bred in Greece.