The L numbers were first introduced into the hobby from the German publication DATZ. It was a means to an end to actually give the different species a name of some sort for the hobby.
The problem was and still is that the species are being discovered at such an alarming rate that the scientific community can't keep up. It has become next to impossible for them to scientifically ID them and give them a scientific name. So they are now given L numbers until they are IDed. However the L numbering system has become so popular that they normally keep the L number even after a positive ID has been made.
Currently there are a little over 400 L numbers with an estimated 150 or more awaiting even an L number. Example The identification publication Aqualog, the most resent edition Aqualog Loricariidae (plecos) was released some time around last November. From the time of its publication until it's release 51 new L numbers had been handed out and are missing from the book. It stops at L350 Currently I believe L401 is the highest number.
L numbers are given by visual ID and location of collection. The only problem with them is, the same species can have more than one L number simply because they were discovered in an unrelated ditch 2 miles away from the original discovery of that species.
There now I won't have to retype that again.
The problem was and still is that the species are being discovered at such an alarming rate that the scientific community can't keep up. It has become next to impossible for them to scientifically ID them and give them a scientific name. So they are now given L numbers until they are IDed. However the L numbering system has become so popular that they normally keep the L number even after a positive ID has been made.
Currently there are a little over 400 L numbers with an estimated 150 or more awaiting even an L number. Example The identification publication Aqualog, the most resent edition Aqualog Loricariidae (plecos) was released some time around last November. From the time of its publication until it's release 51 new L numbers had been handed out and are missing from the book. It stops at L350 Currently I believe L401 is the highest number.
L numbers are given by visual ID and location of collection. The only problem with them is, the same species can have more than one L number simply because they were discovered in an unrelated ditch 2 miles away from the original discovery of that species.
There now I won't have to retype that again.
