Leporacanthicus sp. “L240” / “L241”

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

Leporacanthicus sp. "L240" / "L241" is a larger growing L-number in its genus. With around 30 cm this species is fully grown but sexually mature with a size of around 18 - 20 cm. This fish can be variable regarding the body shape and fins. It has a pointy and big head with pointy, "vampire-like" teeth. Hence the common name "Vampire Pleco".

There are differences made between "L240" and "L241", but since both L-numbers live in the same habitat it is likely to be just one species with a bigger variation spectrum in the phenotype. It is said that "L240" has a higher body figure, a shorter and more convex shaped head, a black seam on the dorsal- and caudal fins and smaller spots. Of the "L241" is said, that it has a flatter body figure, a smaller dorsal fin, spots till the borders of the fins, a concave shaped head and bigger spots. Since there is a lot of specimens showing some traits of both variations it is highly doubted, that it's two different kinds of plecos or that hybridization occurs in their natural habitat (which is known to happen with Leporacanthicus spp. in general.)

"L240 / L241" is totally black colored and shows various white spots over the whole body. Those spots are bigger with young specimens and get smaller and more numerous, the older they get.

Also this Leporacanthicus can be very territorial, especially towards males of the same species / genus. Interspecial fights for hierarchy and dominance are a common behaviour and can result in damaged fins, eyes and skin.

In nature, the Leporacanthicus sp. "L240" / "L241" lives in rapids and fast flowing streams in the Rio Orinoco. Here it is found in between rock crevices or driftwood. There is a lot of current and therefore oxygen in the water.

It shares its habitat with Leporacanthicus triactis "L91".

Leporacanthicus, and therefore "L240" / "L241", have teeth which they use to open cracks in stones, wood, snail shells and mussels. They are carnivores (meat eaters) and should therefore be fed a protein-rich diet consisting of shellfish, shrimp, mussels and fish meat. They also scrape on wood, but this is not part of their main diet and is not necessary for thriving of this species.

The L. sp. "L240" / "L241" will also take vegetarian food in between. You can therefore sometimes offer them some green food. It is an easy eater that actually accepts all types of fish food well.

We mainly feed them Shrimp Sticks, Mussel Sticks, and various granulates such as Krill soft granulate, Snail soft granulate and Mussel soft granulate.

The minimum length of the aquarium should be 150 cm.

It is a larger L-number for the larger aquariums. Think of an aquarium of 150 - 200 cm for 1 - 4 animals. The "L240" / "L241" must have enough hiding places in the aquarium.
They are peaceful with most other fish. Males can be territorial and aggressive towards each other, so there should be plenty of hiding places in the aquarium, in addition to space, if you want to keep a group. It is advisable to have more hiding options than the number of fish. The most peaceful way to keep this species, is in pairs of both sexes.
The temperature should be between 26 - 30 °C. High oxygenation should be applied with streaming pumps and airstones. It is a light sensitive fish, which is more often to seen with non or dimmed light.

As mentioned in a previous post, we are not quite sure if our group of Leporacanthicus sp. belongs to "L240" or "L241", since they show different traits from both L-numbers. Both are found in the same habitat and it is discussed wether or not those two are the same species. Nontheless hybridization is possible as also having both L-numbers in the same import, since they look really alike and are found in the same river. We can assume that this sexing post can help with identifying the sex of both "L240" and "L241".

From the side we can see, that the female sits a bit higher than the male, which can be caused by a full belly of eggs. The coloration is with both sexes the same. How many dots a specimens pattern has, is quite individual, especially in the case of Leporacanthicus.

If we take a closer look at the head from the side, we notice that the male tends to have a longer and not so pointy head as the female. In general the males head looks more robust.

On the border of the snout, the male shows spikes, which are not seen with the female.

The odontodes on the gills are with both fish on the pictures not really long but in comparison also the male has again longer ones and more of them.

The pectoral fins are quite similar. One could say, that the male shows a slightly thicker hard ray.

The sides of the tail is more spiky with the male also.

From above sexing Leporacanthicus spp. is mostly the easiest. Females build up eggs rather quick and show then the typical round belly curves.

From top also the head of the male looks broader and not so pointy. When females are thin, the head can also appear rather large in comparison to the body.

From underneath this pleco species is also good to sex. Males have a long and thin papilla, where as females show a rounder more truncated papilla. The female also shows yellow spots around the genital area, which seems to be a common trait for Leporacanthicus females.

Also this Leporacanthicus species seems to be a difficult one to breed. Generally it is a cave breeder, where the male takes care of the egg batch till the fry hatch and used up their yolk sacs.

To stimulate them to breed in captivity a lot of waterchanges with soft water should be necessary. The temperature of the water should be kept around 30° C and the conductivity under 200 mS. A lot of current and oxygen is also probably necessary. In general breeding should be comparable with the breeding of Leporacanthicus triactis "L91", since they come from the same habitat.