This extremely attractive new suckermouth cat was sent to us from Peru with the name of a collecting site “Jutai”. Currently the fish are around 4-6 cm long. There is no doubt that they belong to the Panaqolus changae group (LDA 26, L206, L226). A very astonishing matter in these fish is the fact that despite their small size they seem to be sexually differentiated already. The presumed males have a whitish basic colour, narrower bands and an irregular pattern on the caudal fin. The presumed females have an orange basic colour with regular bands.
Has a dwarfish population been discovered? Panaqolus changae (typical form) reaches a total size of approx. 12 cm and can be kept quite easily. As in all members of Panaqolus soft wood forms an essential part of the food.
For our customers: the fish have code 275351 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Panaqolus: diminuative of Panaque. Panaque is another genus of suckermouth catfish. changae: in memory of Fonchii Fang, who was integrated in the discovery of the species. She died by accident on the Amazon.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
