Why do so many L-catfish have a light-colored dot pattern on a black background? From the 3-5 cm long Parotocinclus haroldoi (https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fisharchive/parotocinclus-haroldoi-4/) to the sometimes meter-long Acanthicus adonis (https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/10-catfishes/acanthicus-adonis-2/) the coloration occurs; in between there are tens of species with such coloration, which are in between in size. In the entire realm of other catfish, we can only think of the spiny catfish of the genus Agamyxis (oops, we don’t even have a post on our homepage yet! We’ll make up for it, they’re sick right now – they have white spots, haha) and the Tatia galaxias (https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/10-catfishes/tatia-galaxias-2/), which show such coloration. Mysterious!
One of the very first L-catfish – from 1988, it was given the number L7 – also shows this coloration. This is reflected in the scientific name given to L7: Leporacanthicus galaxias. The species name galaxias means that the animal would look like the starry sky! Today we know a whole series of Leporacanthicus forms that are very similar to L. galaxias. Among them are L240, which can be recognized by its broad black dorsal fin margin, and L241. Both originate from Venezuela (upper Orinoco). L241 is anatomically very different from the other black Leporacanthicus with white spots. It has a proportionally much longer head and a lower dorsal fin. In terms of color, L241 is one of the most variable L-catfish of all. From almost pure black animals, to specimens with very few spots, animals with large spots and those with tiny speckles, every transition is conceivable.
These carnivorous L-catfish grow up to 30 cm long and require correspondingly large aquaria. Breeding these relatively peaceful cave breeders has already been successful; Leporacanthicus particularly appreciate caves with a side entrance. The sexes can only be distinguished in larger animals (males with a broader head, stronger spines on the hard rays of the pectoral fins and bristles on the head), the coloration says nothing about the sex.
For our customers: L241 has code 26480-L 241-2 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
