numbers

Do a search for L numbers using the search function. There have been several threads started for that already.

yea does come up a lot.

The "L Number" system began when two German magazines began featuring newly discovered Loricariids in their magazines. Since these species were not yet described to science, the magazines began assigning them "L numbers". The German magazine "DATZ" (Die Aquarien und Terrarienzeitschrift) started with the designation L1 for the Loricariid which has now been described as Glyptopterichthys joselimaianus. So now L1 is retired. Another German magazine "Das Aquarium", also began to run a similar feature in its magazine and labeled the fishes as LDA followed by a number. At the time of writing, the DATZ L system is somewhere above L370 and the LDA system is above LDA 70 - neither show signs of slowing. This numbering system has caught on and new species of Corydoras are now being assigned "C Numbers".

We need to have that article put up as a sticky in the pleco boards.

basically the L numbers were catagorising non described plecs, but they stuck because they are easier to say and refer to