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We all know that for male zebra pleco, there are usually a lot of
well-grown interopercular odontodes... while i wonder for
a zebra pleco, with everything else looks like a female except
it has the interopercular odontodes as well-developed
and long as the alpha male zebra (ie., very hairy), is it possible
to be a female? Have some fellows here seen this form of
super-hairy female zebra? Please share.

I don't have any super hairy females....but by my undestanding this is perfectly possible. Which is one of the reasons sexing them is so difficult.

Plastic Mac wrote:I don't have any super hairy females....but by my undestanding this is perfectly possible. Which is one of the reasons sexing them is so difficult.

Thanks and i see...
so, in your opinion, among all the possible features of male zebra,
which one is the most crucial for differentiating male/female?

There is a hairy lady to see here: http://www.zebrapleco.com/article2.php

In my opinion A mature male, ready to spawn, then his headshape is a dead giveaway

Otherwise it is a combination of several factors in my opinion

Thanks McEve. In other words, do you mean the headshape is more critical than the hair for mature and ready to spawn male?

McEve wrote:There is

a hairy lady to see here: http://www.zebrapleco.com/article2.php

In my opinion A mature male, ready to spawn, then his headshape is a dead giveaway

Otherwise it is a combination of several factors in my opinion

I mean a combination of features give you an idea of what gender the fish is. But, a fully grown ready to spawn male is impossible to be mistaken for a lady

McEve wrote:I mean a combination of features give you an idea of what gender the fish is. But, a fully grown ready to spawn male is impossible to be mistaken for a lady

Get it and thanks McEve