Common or sailfin?

[MrsE88]

I got these two almost a year ago sold as common plecos. Is this correct?
I thought I read somewhere that commons are actually really hard to find and most sold under that name are really sailfins. That has me wondering which type I have. I'm leaning towards sailfin.

I did have to separate them a few months back because they were fighting and hurting each other (as you can see). This is the smaller of the two for a side shot.

Both those pictures are from a while ago. The little one is now 9" and the bigger one somewhere between 10-11" I believe. If that helps with identification at all.

 

[tlindsey]

I got these two almost a year ago sold as common plecos. Is this correct?
I thought I read somewhere that commons are actually really hard to find and most sold under that name are really sailfins. That has me wondering which type I have. I'm leaning towards sailfin.
View attachment 1279602
I did have to separate them a few months back because they were fighting and hurting each other (as you can see). This is the smaller of the two for a side shot.
View attachment 1279603
Both those pictures are from a while ago. The little one is now 9" and the bigger one somewhere between 10-11" I believe. If that helps with identification at all.

The one on the right may be a Sailfin due to the color pattern.

 

[reefman]

I'm gonna say common. Gibbicep have a larger dorsal fin and less of a scribble pattern and more spotted

 

[MrsE88]

I'm gonna say common. Gibbicep have a larger dorsal fin and less of a scribble pattern and more spotted

But don't they have too many dorsal rays to be commons?

 

[Warborg]

They are both commons, Sailfins are orange/black. Commons are gray/black. Plus sailfins have bigger dorsal fins

 

[Warborg]

But don't they have too many dorsal rays to be commons?

They both belong to Pterygoplichthys which have over 10 rays in their fins. You may be confusing the original common pleco which is Hypostomus plecostomus, they only have 7 rays.

 

[MrsE88]

They both belong to Pterygoplichthys which have over 10 rays in their fins. You may be confusing the original common pleco which is Hypostomus plecostomus, they only have 7 rays.

So are there more then one kind of common pleco?
And yes I believe you are right.

 

[thefredpit]

there are a couple sold as commons the most common, "common pleco" is P. Pardalis
https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=88
I think the one on right may be the chocolate variant

sailfin plecos are P. Gibbiceps
https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?task=&species_id=148

 

[MrsE88]

there are a couple sold as commons the most common, "common pleco" is P. Pardalis
https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=88
I think the one on right may be the chocolate variant

sailfin plecos are P. Gibbiceps
https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?task=&species_id=148

Thank you. That is very informative.

 

[Warborg]

So are there more then one kind of common pleco?
And yes I believe you are right.

Yes, there are 3. Hypostomus Plecostmus was the first one, pre-90's.

But it made way to the next two
(2)P. Pardalis and (3)P. disjunctivus look alike and are hard to tell apart. The belly is the way to tell them apart. A P. Pardalis has a circle like pattern and a P. disjunctivus has wavy lines.