Taxonomy
Order: Siluriformes
Suborder: Loricarioidei
Family: Loricariidae
Subfamily: Hypostominae
Genus: Hypancistrus
Species: Hypancistrus yudja, Sousa, Sousa, Ribeiro, Sabaj, Zuanon, & Py-Daniel, 2025
Description
Hypancistrus yudja L174 is with around 8 cm body length, one of the smallest plecos in the hobby.
This unsubscribed species shows a white-pinkish ground coloration with a grey pattern. Only one stripe behind the head shows a beige coloration. Its pattern has a high variability and can show a transition from dots to worm-lines. Different than most other Hypancistrus, this species has really small eyes and a compact body shape.
Since its habitat is being destroyed and this species being endemic to only a small area in the Rio Xingu, Hypancistrus yudja L174 counts as threatened and is therefore excluded for exports.
Distribution and habitat
Hypancistrus yudja L174 is endemic to a small area in Rio Xingu, surroundings of Altamira of Brazil.
Its habitat consists mostly of dark, rocky substrate with a strong water current. Highly oxygenated and warm water can be found in its biotope. There, temperatures of over 30 °C can be reached.
Diet
This little plecos diet consists mainly of insect (larvae), worms and crustaceans.
In captivity this fish will take almost every commercial food. Nonetheless it should be taken care, that its food is rich in proteins.
Aquarium
Tanks upwards from 80 cm length can be used for sheltering a group of H. yudja L174. The substrate can range from fine sand to rougher gravel. A construction of stone slates with built in little rocks and pleco caves, is a good way, to give these fish the possibilty to hide and breed. There should always be more caves available, then the number of plecos in the tank. This avoids fights for breeding- and hiding spots. They don't like bright light and are in generell shy fish that are rarely seen outside, during the day.
It is important to give the fish their needed water conditions. 28 - 30 °C warm water, a strong current, a lot of oxygen via a bubble stone and weekly waterchanges are mandatory. This species prefers slightly acidic water with an electircal conductivity under 200 micro siemens.
Since Hypancistrus yudja L174 is a really peaceful species, community tank set-ups can work well, if the needed parameters are given. To dominant fish, that are faster at the food, than the L174s, shouldn't be kept together with them.
Sex difference
This really small pleco from the Rio Xingu shows a lot of similarities, in terms of sex differentiation, to the Hypancistrus zebra L46.
If we look to the animals from the side, we can see, that males and females share a really similar head- and body shape.
Females tend to sit higher, which is caused by their round bellies when being pregnant.
Males show longer odontodes on the gills and the hard ray of the pectorals. On the rest of the head, there can be short and stubby odontodes seen.
Also the sides and the underside of the tail show a slight growth of odontodes. Females are in comparison more smoother.
From top, sexing is here the easiest. The body shape tells male and female really easy apart. Females can develop a really round belly and therefore are more curvy. Although males show more belly than, for example L46, the broadest part of the body is still noticed around the shoulder-area. Males also tend to show a thicker tail than females.
Although the sexual dimorphism of the heads is not typical for Hypancistrus species, there are slight differences to notice.
Females have a quite large head but it is in overall more rounded than the blocky head of males.
If you take a look at the genital papilla, there is not so much difference to notice, and probably also varies from specimen to specimen. The only outstanding difference is here, that females again show those yellow-orange dots around the papilla, even if its not standing out as much, as with L46 for example.
Reproduction and breeding
The breeding of this species is not so common in the hobby, but also not so difficult to achieve. Also this Hypancistrus is a cave breeder, where the male takes care of the brood.
I have written a breeding report of breeding this Hypancistrus species with my own breeding experiences; Hypancistrus yudja L174 breeding report.
Literature
Sousa, L.M. de., Sousa, E.B. de., Ribeiro, R. de O., Sabaj, M.H., Zuanon, J., & Py-Daniel, L.R., (2025).
Two new species of Hypancistrus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the rio Xingu, Amazon, Brazil.
Neotropical Ichthyology, 23 (1)
