Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus

Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus, also known as the Gold spot pleco or the Marbled sailfin pleco, is a species of armored catfish. It is endemic to Brazil, occurring in the Tocantins River basin.[2] It is often mistaken for Pterygoplichthys pardalis or Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps.

Gold spot pleco
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Loricariidae
Subfamily: Hypostominae
Tribe: Pterygoplichthyini
Genus: Pterygoplichthys
Species:
P. joselimaianus
Binomial name
Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus
(C. Weber, 1991)

In the aquarium trade, it may be referred to by its L-number, being L001 or L022.[3]

Description

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P. joselimaianus has a dorsoventrally flattened body, dark brown in colour with light "gold" spots covering the whole body and fins. It has a large dorsal fin with 10 rays, characteristic for the Pterygoplichthys genus. On all fins the first ray is thicker, and on the pectoral fins there are visible spikes. It's a large fish, growing to a length of around 30.5 centimetres (12.0 in) SL.[4]

These fish prefer temperatures ranging between 26 and 29 degrees Celcius, and pH between 6.5 and 7.5.

 
P. joselimaianus in an aquarium.

Etymology

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The fish is named in honor of ichthyologist José Lima de Figueiredo (b. 1943), of the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, because of his support and observations on the species covered in the author's paper.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) (2022). "Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (in Portuguese). 2022: e.T140708255A140708261. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T140708255A140708261.pt. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus (Weber, 1991)". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  3. ^ "PlanetCatfish.com - All L Numbers from 0 to 666". www.planetcatfish.com. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  4. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Glyptoperichthys joselimaianus". FishBase. December 2011 version.
  5. ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (23 January 2024). "Order SILURIFORMES: Family LORICARIIDAE: Subfamilies HYPOSTOMINAE, RHINELEPINAE and DELTURINAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. v. 40.0. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 12 February 2024.