skippy_49nz Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 Does anyone know if these are naturally occuring or if they are introduced? I have seen the fishermen throwing common looking plecos onto the rocks and they don't seem to want them back in the water. Its in a fairly still lake so there is no river flow. Would these have been released from an aquarium or something or do they also occur outside of the South American rivers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 they could have some native species there, or even introduced species. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firenzenz Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Check this out. http://fish.mongabay.com/data/Philippines.htm It documents 2 Amazon loricariidae as introduced to Phillipines. They would certainly thrive in those latitudes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 they could have some native species there, or even introduced species. All loricariidae are natives to South America afaik. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy_49nz Posted October 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Ok, I just read a study on the claims of Hypostomus pecostomus in Philippines and they concluded all species collected for the sample were the other "commons" which I forget the scientific name, but I believe starte with P They definitely show more of a brown hue to them than black or grey, particularly fresh from the water. They suspect that with the amount of pollution in the local rivers, they may have been introduced during a river clean drive, due to their local reputation as janitor fish. The ones I'm seeing are definitely thriving, but it seems a shame for them to be caught and left on the banks to die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firenzenz Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 History would show that the introduction of a species into a new habitat usually ends in tears for the native inhabitants. Maybe the fisherman were trying to do no more than redress the mistakes made by others in a less enlightened time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Or perhaps they don't like them in the water as their spines rip through fishing nets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 i'm supposed to be going there for a few months early next year, i shall have a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy_49nz Posted October 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Stay somewhere with aircon... its very hot! Oh... and don't be alarmed when the roaches try to carry you and your bed out at night, its just their way of saying hello. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatfish Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Have a look at this article. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2006f/zt01109p068.pdf Full of scientific jargon but interesting. Basically there are two species of introduced 'common' sailfin plecos known from the Phillipines: the true common pleco and the vermiculated (wavy-lined) sailfin pleco. We likely get both of these species in New Zealand as common plecos and possibly a third species the Orinoco sailfin pleco. The chocolate albino plecos commonly available in the shops are an amelanistic (they lack melanin or dark pigment) form of the true common pleco, P. pardalis. It just goes to show that when you release tropical aquarium fish in a tropical country they can get established. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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