In small numbers we received German bred specimens of these pretty bristle-noses. Ancistrus patronus is one of the numerous white dotted, black species and was known in the hobby as Ancistrus sp. “Puerto Ayacucho” and A. sp. “Rio Parucito” before its scientific description in February 2019; the numbers L125 and L150 were given to imported animals without exact knowledge of their origin; it is assumed in catfish circles that they are also A. patronus.
The second species, Ancistrus sp. “Rio Tocantins”, strangely enough never received a L-number, although it is very strikingly coloured. This species, which is easily recognizable by its honeycomb pattern, occurs in nature together with the Ancistrus species L156. Apart from the different coloration, Ancistrus sp. “Rio Tocantins” is also much flatter than most other Ancistrus species.
Care and breeding of both species is unproblematic and corresponds to that of the well-known Ancistrus species.
For our customers: A. patronus has code 204573, Ancistrus sp. “Rio Tocantins” code 204963 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
