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Pleco or Sucker fish

Hypostomus plecostomus

Photo by joan6153
Published on Project Noah
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26.3587, -80.0831

Field Notes

Description:

This dead fish appeared on the seat of an old boat in the fresh water canal in my backyard. I don't know what left it there. It was about 6 inches long. I have not seen this sort of fish in the water. I wonder what species it is and what would leave it there. It was gone after about 6 hours.

Notes:

This turned out to be a Pleco catfish commonly found in aquariums. They are not native to Florida but rather to Central and South America. How it got here is a mystery as is what killed it.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (2)
joan6153
Thank you Xiaoxuan. Now I know why it looked a little familiar - I had one in an aquarium many years ago. But they don't appear to be native to Florida. So I wonder how it got here and if it is a non-native fish that someone let loose in the local waterways. I never noticed a fish like it in my backyard canal whose water is clear enough to see many fish varieties.
XXD17
It's a plecostomus sp.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Wildlife of the South East, USA
Mission
Florida's Flora & Fauna
Photographed
PublishedMay 13, 2014

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