Pseudorinelepis
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| Pseudorinelepis genibarbis (Valenciennes, 1840) |
Pseudorinelepis is a genus of the Hypostominae subfamily of the Loricariidae, a genus of four species, named in order of their description to science;
- P. genibarbis (Valenciennes 1840)
- P. agassizi (Steindachner 1877)
- P. pellegrini (Regan 1904)
- P. carachama (Fowler 1940)
There is also the contention that the genus is monospecific, and that the other three forms given above are pseudonyms for Pseudorinelepis genibarbis. This debate is unresolved, so many writers will refer to "Pseudorinelepis sp." in order to steer away from any controversy.
[edit] Pseudorinelepis in the home aquarium
It is an armoured catfish from the upper Amazon system in Peru and Brazil which has started since the 1990s to be offered quite regularly as an aquarium fish under the name "Pineapple Pleco". The term "pleco" here is of course a popular generalisation, as taxonomy has never placed this fish in the former genus Plecostomus, and the reason why Valenciennes' name is in brackets is that he posited the genus Rinelepis for this fish. It has full pupils, and lacks the 'omega' shaped pupil common to many Loricariids. The armour is also pleasantly spiked along the sides of the fish, which causes the 'pineapple' resemblance celebrated in the commercial name of the species.
From the viewpoint of the aquarist the fish is peaceful, sociable with others of its own type, non-territorial, omnivorous, but appears to require bogwood, which it gradually gnaws away, as part of its diet. The image above shows one engaged in gnawing bogwood. Unsurprisingly, therefore, they do well in soft water, although pH values of up to 7.5 are acceptable, and the temperature range may fluctuate gently between 23-27 °C.
Spawning in captivity has not yet been reliably reported. Sexual dimorphism is slight, being determined mainly by a more rounded body shape in the females, and orange "cheeks", this refers to the operculum, in the males. Males may reach 36 cm, females probably slightly less.
The fish will, unlike most Hypostominids, feed on flake from the water surface, turning upside-down to do so. It is also able to augment water-dissolved oxygen with atmospheric oxygen, but does not need to do so, having fully functional gills, so when this fish does gulp it is a useful warning that the aeration in the tank is low.
There is quite a degree of colour variation, some males having orange cheeks, which is why "orange cheek Pleco" is another common name found in circulation, and this variation is probably the main reason for the confusion over species. This is not made any easier by the fact that the fish will gradually darken if left in a tank with a darker substrate and lighten when kept on a lighter substrate. These changes take some time (hours or days) to effect, they do not happen quickly, so there is no real "chameleon" effect here, but no doubt it is a useful survival mechanism.
