Among the species threatened by the construction of the Bela Monte Dam is L82, a species of loricariid up to about 15 cm long, which cannot yet be assigned to any genus described scientifically to date; it is most similar to Scobinancistrus. Also on species level L82 is not yet worked on. The only certainty is that it belongs to the carnivorous catfishes and has only been found in the Rio Xingu.
Sometimes you can read that the animals are only found at Altamira. However, there are color variants, which indicates a wider distribution. For example, the photographed animals are decorated with large, yellowish dots and have an abdomen without markings. But there are also animals with smaller, more whitish dots and a pattern on the abdomen.
The species is considered to be relatively peaceful and could be reproduced in the aquarium. For the care the usual applies for L-catfish from the Xingu: high water temperatures (28-30°C) and strong current. Hardness and pH-value do not play an important role at least for the care. As a carnivorous species L82 is fed with food tablets, granules and frozen food.
For our customers: the animals have code 26480- L082-4 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
