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Definition of tiger pleco

tiger pleco

Plural:tiger plecos
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tiger pleco Lexical Profile

• noun

1

A small, freshwater armored catfish native to South American rivers, characterized by distinctive dark vertical stripes on a lighter body, popular in the aquarium trade as an algae eater.

Example

"The hobbyist added a tiger pleco to the community tank to help manage algae growth on the driftwood."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for tiger pleco

Word Nuance & Usage

The term is used broadly in the aquarium trade to describe several visually similar species of striped armored catfish, most notably those in the genus Panaqolus.

• Nearby Words

tiger lily
tiger moray
tiger oscar
tiger pleco
tiger rattlesnake
tiger shark
tiger shovelnose catfish

Word Origin & Etymology

A compound of 'tiger', referring to the distinct vertical bands, and 'pleco', a common clipping of 'plecostomus' (from Greek 'pleko' meaning folded and 'stoma' meaning mouth).

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Tiger pleco. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/tiger pleco
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