Common Plecostomus
Many aquarists have had this fish or saw it on sale.
Common plecostomus. By its name it s no surprise this is the most common pleco for fishkeepers. It has a dorso ventral flattened body while the back is slightly arched and at the same time is covered by bone plates except for areas of the caudal and dorsal fins. Hypostomus plecostomus main caharacteristics when in nature it can reach up to 40 centimeters in length but being in captivity does not usually exceed 30 centimeters.
Common pleco or the hypostomus plecostomus in the zoological world is how the catfish that fall into the loricariidae family are usually known. Many people think that common pleco is the name for several different types of plecos but it is actually the common name for the hypostomus plecostomus species. However there is a range of species in the aquarium trade often referred to as common pleco.
Plecostomus or plecos are a group of armored catfish that belong to the loricariidae family. They are by far the most popular catfish amongst fish keepers and in total there are well over 150 species. The term plecostomus means folded mouth and is applied to a large number of species with a suckermouth characteristic though they differ in length coloration and other features like the whisker type extensions around the mouth of the bristle nose catfish ancistrus spp.
Generally speaking common plecos are one of the larger types of plecos out there. Hypostomus plecostomus is a type of suckermouth catfish which is often encountered in home aquaria. The most in demand member of this family is called the common pleco and can grow up to 24 inches long.
In the wild they populate the rivers and streams of northeastern south america as well as the islands of trinidad and tobago. Common names this fish is know by include pleco plecostomus plec. They are found throughout south america and have in recent years been reported as an invasive species in several countries most notably in the several southern united states.
The scientific name for the common plecostomus is hypostomus plecostomus. You can hear some of them calling these the armoured catfish as well thanks to the arrangement of four bones on the back that looks like the armour worn in the war in the earlier times. It is classified within the genus hypostomus and the family loricariidae.
