Whats The Difference...

[star4]

Between a common pleco and a gibbiceps? I have been calling mine common plecs. I have just been nosing through the site and found a lovely picture of what I thought was a common pleco (Albert) and someone said it was a sailfin gibbiceps. I just wondered what the difference is?
Thanks

 

[Davo86]

Between a common pleco and a gibbiceps? I have been calling mine common plecs. I have just been nosing through the site and found a lovely picture of what I thought was a common pleco (Albert) and someone said it was a sailfin gibbiceps. I just wondered what the difference is?
Thanks

There are a number of plecos referred to as commons and Sailfins are sometimes included within this list,
'Common pleco' is merely a nickname used often when people don't know the species
Gibbiceps is actually the second part of the scientific name given to the Sailfin pleco

These are the most common species that are referred to as common plecs:
Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus
Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus
Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps
Pterygoplichthys pardalis
Hypostomus Sp

 

[star4]

Wow thanks for that I have been searching those names on the net, how interesting! I never knew just how many plecs there were. I have discovered my smallest plec is L001, I am just searching the larger ones now, one does look like a pterygoplichtyls gibbicep I am just searching for the other one now. And I just thought they were both the same.Thank you very much for helping