Here is a list of all the Ancistrus from PlanetCatfish (Mature males and sometimes females have soft tentacles (bushy fleshy growths) on the snout - this is unique to the genus Ancistrus.):
L numbers?
- Thread starter mudskipper10
- Start date
The L numbers also are used for different locations of lorcaridae that may or may not a regional variation of an already named species. Similar is the "cf", kind of "almost the same" ( but not really sure if it's a variation or not) of an already named species.
DNA tests are not a priority (yet), the only valid way of saying whether a fish is a different species or that may have been wrongly identified based on 1 or a few specimens X number of years ago, with blurry pics of dead fish being the prototype. Mistakes in ID are not uncommon so L numbers allow for that. And now that captive breeding is not so uncommon hopefully L numbers etc will help us to avoid hybridization & more confusion.
DNA tests are not a priority (yet), the only valid way of saying whether a fish is a different species or that may have been wrongly identified based on 1 or a few specimens X number of years ago, with blurry pics of dead fish being the prototype. Mistakes in ID are not uncommon so L numbers allow for that. And now that captive breeding is not so uncommon hopefully L numbers etc will help us to avoid hybridization & more confusion.
As confusing as they are, L numbers have a long way to go in being correctly established. I sort of stay away and use the common name since many people seems to understand it better.
Yea as stated above the L number system is used in place of giving scientific names when a new pleco is discovered. Several pleco's have several numbers. There is also another system for pleco's which is the LDA. Some pleco's are in both L and LDA id systems. It does take some time getting use to. I do try to stay away from just using common names since multiple fish use the same common name. Clown pleco is a good example since two different pleco's use this same common name despite one being a peckoltia and the other a panaque.
Not all pleco's have L numbers. Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus is L-001 but it's relative Pterygoplichthys weberi has no L number and neither does Pterygoplichthys scrophus. Scientific names can be hard to remember and some times they change family name which is a pain. Glyptoperichthys was the former name of the pleco's in the family Pterygoplichthys. When talking about pleco's or even cichlids it's usually best to use the scientific name along side to the common name. It does seem to help cut down on any confussion.
Not all pleco's have L numbers. Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus is L-001 but it's relative Pterygoplichthys weberi has no L number and neither does Pterygoplichthys scrophus. Scientific names can be hard to remember and some times they change family name which is a pain. Glyptoperichthys was the former name of the pleco's in the family Pterygoplichthys. When talking about pleco's or even cichlids it's usually best to use the scientific name along side to the common name. It does seem to help cut down on any confussion.
