For a long time, Hypancistrus vandragti was only known from a few single individuals imported as bycatch with various species of Loricariidae exported from Colombia. In DATZ 4/2000, it was presented with the number L280 by André Werner. Since then, it has become somewhat of a holy grail for many Pleco enthusiasts worldwide.
Facts:
Name: Hypancistrus vandragti (Lujan & Armbruster, 2011)
Trade names: L280, Micracanthicus vandragti
Origin: Rio Orinoco, Ventuari, Venezuela. Mitu, Colombia.
Maximum size: 6 cm / 2,5’’
In 2011, it was given its scientific description by Lujan & Armbruster. The description was based on individuals collected together with Leporacanthicus sp., and the Micracanthicus were initially thought to be juveniles of these. Laboratory investigation proved otherwise, and instead it was confirmed that we were dealing with adults of one of the smallest known species of Loricariidae. Adults measure about 5 (in rare cases 7) cm TL. Lujan et.al. moved the species to the genus Hypancistrus in 2017, although there are many superficial traits suggesting this is not the right genus for it. According to Lujan (pers.comm.) they even interbreed with H.sp.L201 in the wild.
H.vandragti is found at several locations in Rio Ventuari and where this river meets the main Orinoco channel. This area is frequently visited by ornamental fishermen, and several popular types of L-number Catfish are found here. H.vandragti shares habitat with these, yet it’s almost never collected. The reason for this has been unclear, but it has been thought to be because of their diminutive size. Fishermen may see them as juveniles of other species like Hypancistrus sp. L201 and Leporacanthicus sp. L240, too small to gain interest from the trade. In 2024 a group of what seems to be H.vandragti was exported to Japan by Nekton Aquarium in Colombia, these were collected in the area around Mitu – very far from Rio Ventuari from where it was described.
After having worked meticulously with Hernando Gil (Colombia Aquarium) to make H.vandragti available in the hobby, we got a positive result around 2017. The species has finally started to show up on the market in limited numbers both in Europe and in the US. It has been proven to be quite easy to reproduce, and is a hardy, meat-eating species which is fairly straight-forward when it comes to keeping as long as the water is kept clean and warm. The species is variable in its coloration; some specimens are completely grey (especially when full grown), others are covered in small, white dots. Males can be recognized by their wider heads and strong odontodal growth, and well-conditioned females have wider bellies when viewed from above. The coloration is variable, and there are specimens almost covered in white dots as well as those with almost no dots at all. H.vandragti is an exciting newcomer on the Catfish scene, suitable even for small aquariums due to their small size.