Peckoltia

This species has had several L-numbers assigned to it, with L146 collected from an unspecified locality in Colombia and L232 from the Río Putomayo/Içá. It's exported for the aquarium trade under a number of different generic names including Hemiancistrus, Sophiancistrus and Peckoltichthys. Following Armbruster (2008) it can be to...

This species can be distinguished from all congeners except P. bachi and some specimens of P. furcata by possessing only faint spots and saddles on the body. It can be told apart from P. bachi by possession of narrow (vs. wide) pelvic-fin spines, having the eyes positioned high (vs. low) on the head, and distinctly round (vs. appearing more as a mottling) spots on the body.

Known only from parts of the Río Orinoco drainage in Amazonas state, southern Venezuela. Sometimes confused with Peckoltia lineola (Armbruster, 2008) alongside which it's often exported for the aquarium trade.

Known with certainty from tributaries of the middle Río Orinoco between the city of Puerto Ayacucho, Amazonas state, Venezuela and the lower Río Meta, Colombia. It may have a wider distribution within the Meta system since some reports suggest it to occur around Villavicencia, Colombia, some 600 km upriver.

L076 and L099 appear to be the same species with the former exhibiting a darker diurnal colour pattern than the latter, though both appear similar at night.

Wild specimens are probably omnivorous foragers but with a preference for aquatic invertebrates and suchlike. In the aquarium it does best when offered a varied diet comprising sinking dried foods, frozen Daphnia, mosquito larvae, chironomid larvae (bloodworm), and prawn/shrimp, for, example, plus some fresh fruit, parboiled potato, etc.

Currently known only from the rios Curuá Una and Uruará in Pará state, Brazil. The Curuá Una is a tributary flowing into the main lower Amazon channel downstream of Santarém and there is a large hydroelectric power plant constructed on it which supplies power to the city. The Uruará joins the Curuá Una around 30 km upstream of its mouth and confluence with the Amazon.

Commonly known as the big spot peckoltia, there is ongoing argument that this species should be included in the genus Hemiancistrus. As things stand, there has not yet been any scientific confirmation of this and the species remains undescribed. It's also often confused with the very similar-looking L013, another undescribed fish. These two species can only easily be distinguished as they mature, as L163 retains its spotted patterning, while L013 tends to become somewhat duller. When b...