The time has come. At the beginning of February, some of the best-known and most popular L-numbers were finally given a scientific name.
And it couldn’t have been more beautifully chosen. Ingo Seidel has researched, found out, published and disseminated so much knowledge about aquaristics in general, and L-numbers in particular, that any attempt to list them would be beyond the attempt itself. It all began with the ‘King Tiger Pleco’, which is best known as L 66. It was followed by other L-numbers: L 236, L 287, L 333, L 399, L 400 and L 470, all of which still enjoy great popularity among aquarists and breeders today. A team led by Leandro Sousa in Altamira (Brazil) has been working for years on the description of the ‘worm line Hypancistrus’ par excellence.
In honour of Ingo Seidel, in recognition of his achievements in and around the aquarium hobby and in recognition of his contributions, both taxonomic and of a popular scientific nature, all the above-mentioned L-numbers are now known as Hypancistrus seideli.
Ingo Seidel established himself in the IG BSSW for many years as editor of the report, head of the catfish section and author of numerous articles. Together with Hans-Georg Evers, he is the author of the ‘catfish bible’ par excellence, the Catfish Atlas 1 & 2. He also travels the world as a speaker and promotes the often dark, brown fish. Thanks for that too, Ingo!
In the same work, the long-known L 174 was also scientifically described. The species now bears the name Hypancistrus yudja, which is dedicated to an indigenous people living near the type locality on the Volta Grande (Rio Xingu, Brazil). Many of its members used to be able to earn some extra money by catching the popular loricariid catfish. However, they are now struggling with the consequences of the Belo Monte dam, and the preservation of their culture is in jeopardy.
More on this topic in the next report.
Text and pictures: Daniel KONN-VETTERLEIN
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