L017 Wolverine Pleco (Hopliancistrus wolverine)

Choose the L017 Wolverine Pleco, a gold-dotted pleco with hidden hooks

The L017 Wolverine Pleco (Hopliancistrus wolverine) is a suckermouth catfish from the middle Rio Xingu and the lower Rio Iriri in Pará, Brazil. Its body is dark olive to black and covered in small greenish-yellow dots of a similar size on the head, the body and every fin. For years it was sold only under trade codes, until Brazilian scientists revised the genus in 2021 and described it, with three other new species, in the journal PLOS ONE.

The name explains its defence. Hopliancistrus means "weapon hook": every species in the genus carries stout, curved odontodes (tooth-like bristles) in the cheek area. The 2021 revision reports that when disturbed these fish resolutely flick out the hooked cheek plates and clip the aggressor. The species name refers to the wolverine, Gulo gulo, for its blunt build, strong claws and ferocity. In the aquarium, though, ScotCat describes the Wolverine Pleco as a peaceful inhabitant.

Check the names on the label

The L017 code has a muddled history. ScotCat and the 2021 revision explain that it was first coined for a Pseudancistrus, today P. asurini, which was later renumbered L067; the then unnumbered Hopliancistrus took over L017. Planet Catfish notes that both fishes show yellow in the tail, which helped the mix-up. Our L067 Pleco is that other fish, so check the code and the scientific name together when you compare listings.

Recognise a true Wolverine Pleco

The original description, summarised by FishBase, separates it from the other four Hopliancistrus by its even pattern of small dots on head, trunk and fins (the others have small spots on the head but large whitish-yellow spots or blotches towards the tail), by five branched rays in the anal fin (four in H. tricornis from the Tapajós) and by a long pectoral-fin spine of 32.1–38.4% of the standard length. In life, young fish show a yellow band across the tip of the tail that narrows with age and in adults may shrink to a blotch on each tail lobe or disappear. The underside is light grey to yellowish-white, usually without dots, and the density, size and brightness of the dots vary considerably between fish.

ScotCat notes that the genus looks similar to the familiar bristlenose plecos (Ancistrus). Planet Catfish adds that male Hopliancistrus grow very stout, recurved odontodes at the corners of the snout, unlike the thin, whisker-like ones of Lasiancistrus.

Know exactly what you receive

One purchase supplies one live L017 Wolverine Pleco. The size option is "Standard": the fish is sent at the size currently available, normally a juvenile or young adult well below its full size. Sex is not chosen or guaranteed.

The photographs show the species, not the individual you will receive. Expect differences in dot size and density and in the yellow on the tail, which the 2021 revision describes as variable and fading with age.

Handle the cheek hooks with care

• Moving the fish: guide it into a container or a cave rather than lifting it in a net, where the hooks and fin spines can catch in the mesh.
• Bagging: OATA advises double-bagging catfish because their spines can pierce a bag, and warns that most catfish have spines on the pectoral fins and behind the gills.
• Your hands: do not grip the fish; let it swim out of a container by itself.

Before you order, read our delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee information, and have the aquarium running, heated and matured before the fish arrives.

Plan the aquarium around a 13–18 cm adult

Published sizes differ. Planet Catfish gives 130 mm standard length and ScotCat 15 cm, while FishBase records 18.2 cm standard length, the largest specimen measured for the original description; the type specimen measures 134.3 mm. Standard length excludes the tail fin, so plan for a solid, broad-headed pleco of roughly 13–18 cm plus tail.

No minimum aquarium size has been published for this species. OATA gives 80 litres as the starting point for the smaller pleco species, which is the absolute floor here. For comparison, Seriously Fish recommends a base of 120 × 45 cm, about 243 litres, for another rapids pleco of similar length, the 16 cm snowball pleco. Because the Wolverine Pleco can reach 18 cm and needs room for a strong current as well as caves, plan towards that larger base.

Run a three-step space check

1. Measure the floor: a long base gives room for a current along the tank and for rock caves at both ends.
2. Map the flow: decide where the filter outlet and any powerhead will push water, so that caves sit in moving, oxygen-rich water.
3. Work out the true volume: our tank volume calculator turns your dimensions into litres for choosing the filter, heater and water-change volume.

Keep the aquarium away from radiators, windows and draughts, fit a lid, and use a heater all year round. This is a warm-water fish, and our guide to tropical tank temperature explains how to keep a steady reading.

Recreate a Xingu rapid with rocks and caves

The 2021 revision reports that all Hopliancistrus were collected only in fast-flowing, well-oxygenated clear water over rocky bottoms. The Wolverine Pleco is known from the middle Rio Xingu, from just downstream of Belo Monte village through the Volta Grande to near São Félix do Xingu, and from the Rio Iriri upstream of its junction with the Xingu as far as the mouth of the Rio Curuá. ScotCat confirms that it likes a current in the aquarium.

Divide the floor by function

Choose caves the fish can enter and turn round in easily, and place them where the current runs past the entrance. Use smooth sand or fine gravel, because OATA notes that catfish barbels are sensitive and need a soft bottom, and stand the bottom rocks on the glass before adding the sand so the stacks stay stable.

Plants are optional. Tough species tied to rock or wood cope best with flow and shade; the fish itself needs rocks, caves and moving water more than greenery.

Keep the water warm and full of oxygen

Planet Catfish gives 25–30°C. ScotCat gives 26–30°C and pH 6.0–7.0, says the species likes a higher temperature and adds that it needs frequent water changes to stay in good health. Aim for 26–29°C, inside both published ranges and easier to share with suitable tank mates.

Match your water to the targets

Much of the UK has hard, alkaline tap water, so a pH reading above 7.0 is common. If yours is well above the range, blend tap water with reverse-osmosis water to bring it down gradually, then keep it stable: steady water is better than water that swings with every adjustment. Treat every water change with a conditioner to remove chlorine or chloramine. Your water company's postcode checker gives your hardness, and our water matcher compares your readings with this fish's needs.

Filter for a strong current and frequent changes

A fish from rapids depends on clean, oxygen-rich water. For a comparable rapids pleco, Seriously Fish recommends weekly water changes of 30–50%, plenty of dissolved oxygen, water movement from power filters, powerheads or air stones, and a filter turning over four to five times the tank volume each hour. ScotCat makes the same point for this species: frequent water changes keep it healthy.

Follow a weekly routine

1. Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and temperature first.
2. Change 30–50% of the water with conditioned water at tank temperature; OATA's minimum is 25% a week.
3. Siphon the sand around the caves and under rock overhangs.
4. Clear the filter intake and check that the outlet and powerhead still move water across the rocks.
5. Rinse filter media only in old tank water, never under the tap.

Keep the surface rippling so oxygen is constantly replaced; warm water holds less oxygen than cool water. Our aquarium filtration guide explains how to combine a filter with a powerhead for a river-style current.

Feed greens and small frozen foods

ScotCat describes the Wolverine Pleco as an omnivore and lists vegetable foods such as lettuce, spinach, cucumber and vegetable tablets, plus live and frozen foods such as Cyclops, Daphnia and brine shrimp. No stomach-content study has been published for this species, so a varied diet built around vegetable foods with regular small frozen foods is the safest approach.

Build one measured meal

• Staple: a sinking vegetable-based tablet or wafer placed near its cave.
• Fresh greens: a slice of blanched cucumber or a little softened spinach, removed within a day.
• Small frozen foods: thawed Cyclops, Daphnia or brine shrimp a few times a week.
• Timing: after lights-out, when a shy new pleco is most likely to feed.
• Portion: what has gone by the morning; remove the rest.

Check the belly from the front glass. A well-fed pleco has a gently rounded underside; a hollow belly means it is not getting enough, often because faster fish find the food first.

Introduce it calmly to a mature aquarium

Add the fish only to a filtered aquarium that has run long enough to process waste, with zero ammonia and nitrite and the temperature already in range. Our pleco care guide covers the general set-up for suckermouth catfish.

OATA recommends acclimatising with the lights off: float the sealed bag for about 10 minutes, add small amounts of aquarium water over up to 20 minutes, then release the fish with as little bag water as possible. Our step-by-step acclimatisation guide shows each stage. Let the fish swim out of the bag or a container rather than netting it, because of its cheek hooks.

Use a first-week checkpoint plan

Hiding for several days is normal for a new pleco. Rapid breathing, gasping or lying on its side is not: test the water at once and increase aeration.

Choose peaceful companions for warm, fast water

ScotCat describes it as peaceful, and its hooks are a defence rather than a weapon for attack. The main limits on tank mates are its needs: 26–30°C, strong flow and clean water. Choose companions that enjoy the same conditions, leave the bottom dwellers alone and do not take all the food.

Screen each companion

If you like the look but want an easier fish, compare it with the Bristlenose Pleco and our bristlenose pleco care guide, the dotted Pearl Sucker Pleco L059 or other Ancistrus bristlenose plecos. For other collector plecos see the L046 Zebra Pleco, our L-number plecos, the wider South American catfish range, all catfish and plecos and our rare and collector fish. Check any mix with our tank mates tool.

Watch for problems early

OATA describes a healthy fish as having clear, bright eyes, undamaged fins, no ulcers or bumps, normal swimming and steady breathing, and lists clamped fins, flicking against décor and shimmying as warning signs. Newly imported plecos should have a rounded belly and eyes that are not sunken.

Pair each sign with an action

Most problems start with water quality, so test first, write down the readings and any recent changes, and act on the cause rather than a single symptom.

Help write the breeding record

Planet Catfish lists the Wolverine Pleco as unreported in the aquarium: no published account of a spawning exists yet. Sexing is possible in adults. ScotCat says males have a broader head and more prominent bristles along the edge of the snout, and Planet Catfish notes the very stout, recurved odontodes that male Hopliancistrus grow at the corners of the snout.

Give a pair the best chance

1. Start with adults of both sexes that you have identified by head shape and snout bristles.
2. Provide several caves in the current, more than the number of fish.
3. Keep conditions steady: warm, clean, well-oxygenated water and frequent water changes, as ScotCat advises.
4. Feed well: vegetable foods plus plenty of small frozen foods.
5. Record and share: if eggs or fry appear, note the water values and timings and send a report to a catfish society or Planet Catfish.

Most of its relatives that breed in aquariums spawn in caves with the male guarding the eggs, but until a spawning is reported that remains an expectation rather than a fact for this species.

Answer L017 Wolverine Pleco buying questions

What is an L017 Wolverine Pleco?

It is Hopliancistrus wolverine, a suckermouth catfish (family Loricariidae) from the middle Rio Xingu and the lower Rio Iriri in Pará, Brazil. It is dark olive to black with small greenish-yellow dots and has stout hooks hidden in its cheeks. It was described in 2021.

Why is it called the wolverine pleco?

The scientists named it after the wolverine, Gulo gulo, for its blunt build, strong claws and ferocity. The "claws" are the stout, curved odontodes in its cheeks, which it flicks out when disturbed.

Is L017 the same as LDA15 and L067?

L017 and LDA15 are both used for this fish. L067 is different: the L017 code was first given to a Pseudancistrus, now P. asurini, which was later renumbered L067, and the Hopliancistrus took over L017.

How big does Hopliancistrus wolverine grow?

Planet Catfish gives 130 mm standard length and ScotCat 15 cm. FishBase records 18.2 cm standard length, the largest specimen in the original description, so plan for a fish of 13–18 cm without the tail.

What water does it need?

Warm, clean, fast-flowing and well-oxygenated water. Planet Catfish gives 25–30°C and ScotCat 26–30°C with pH 6.0–7.0. ScotCat adds that it needs frequent water changes.

What does it eat?

ScotCat describes it as an omnivore: vegetable foods such as spinach, cucumber and vegetable tablets, plus live or frozen foods such as Cyclops, Daphnia and brine shrimp.

Is it aggressive?

No. Despite its name, ScotCat describes it as a peaceful aquarium fish. The cheek hooks are for defence, so handle it gently and give it a cave of its own.

How many fish come with one purchase?

One live fish of the standard size currently available. Sex is not chosen or guaranteed.

Consult the care references

• de Oliveira et al. (2021), Taxonomic revision of Hopliancistrus, PLoS ONE 16(1): e0244894 — peer-reviewed revision of Hopliancistrus: diagnosis, colour in life, distribution, etymology, genus ecology and the L017 history.
• Planet Catfish: Hopliancistrus wolverine (L017) — names, L017 history, size, temperature, genus identification key and breeding status.
• ScotCat: Hopliancistrus wolverine — L017 and LDA15 codes, range, aquarium care, sexing, diet, size and water values.
• FishBase: Hopliancistrus wolverine — maximum recorded length and the diagnostic features from the original description.
• Seriously Fish: Hypancistrus inspector (L102) — the closest relative, the snowball pleco: aquarium base, hardness, maintenance and filtration guidance used here as a comparison.
• OATA: How to look after freshwater catfish — UK group-level catfish guidance on water quality, substrate, bagging, handling, introduction and maintenance.
• OATA: How to test water quality in your freshwater aquarium — UK guidance on water testing, conditioners and weekly water changes.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery policy — current dispatch days and Live Arrival Guarantee terms.