Date: Fri, 10 Jan 1997 07:55:31 GMT
From: esarchy@wsunix.wsu.edu
Newsgroups: sci.aquaria
Subject: Why Pleco?

Hello all,
I got so many requests as to why we call plecos plecos that I decided to post to the newsgroup at large. Here is the story. The first loricariid imported was believed to have been Hypostomus plecostomus (Hypo= underneath; stomus=mouth and pleco=plaited in case you were wondering). The original genus was Plecostomus and was later changed to Hypostomus. Hobby books, being what they are, are usually 10+ years behind current taxonomy. So, many books kept printing that the proper genus was Plecostomus long after it changed. Hobbyists shortened this to "pleco".

Was the original sp. imported H. pleco? I doubt it, but who knows? Look in any tank of so-called "plecos" and you will see two or more distinct spp. of loricariids. Bushy-nosed plecos (Ancistrus spp.) are almost always mixed in. This is a cheap way to buy these fish which usually sell for more than regular plecos (Hypostomus spp.). Anyway, the name stuck and so all loricariids were called plecos even though there is only one single fish that is a pleco (Hypostomus plecostomus). Look at the following:

Scientific Name Common Name
Panaque spp. "Royal Plecos"
Peckoltia spp. "Clown Plecos"
Sturisoma spp. "Royal Whiptail Plecos"
Farlowella "Twig Plecos"
Rineloricaria spp. "Whiptail Plecos"
Baryancistrus spp. and others "Gold Nugget Plecos"
Ancistrus sp. "Bushy-Nosed Plecos"

I have also seen "Vampire Plecos, Mango Plecos, Watermelon Plecos, Gypsy Plecos, Scribbled Plecos" and others. The FUNNY thing is that the word "plecostomus" does not appear in any of their scientific names! The only true pleco is a rather nondescript sp. from Trinidad. That is why a Pleco is a Pleco is a Pleco. A friend of mine has a saying that, "A woman can never bee too rich, too thin, or too fond of plecos."

-Shane

Courage is the complement of fear.
A man who is fearless cannot be courageous.
(He is also a fool)