Taxonomy & naming
The L-Wels registry's name for this fish is Hypancistrus sp. aff. zebra "L 173". The "aff." is a tentative comparison: L173 is compared with Hypancistrus zebra, not identified as it, so the fish is listed here under the plain code name Hypancistrus sp. L173. The code comes from the L-number system begun by DATZ in 1988; it is a trade code, and the form has no authority and no type specimens. PlanetCatfish files it as Hypancistrus sp. (L173) with no other codes grouped. Trade names are Zebrawels in German and Wavy zebra pleco. Bibliography entries include Seidel's Hypancistrus-Arten aus Brasilien, DATZ 7/2009 (on captive-bred L173), Haagensen's "Chaos in Schwarz-Weiß" and Konn-Vetterlein's study of worm-line Hypancistrus from the Rio Xingu.
Morphology
The registry gives about 3.5 in total length but no description of the pattern. The trade name Wavy zebra pleco and the "Wurmlinien" (worm-line) in one bibliography title both allude to lines; neither is a formal description. The registry lists Hypancistrus zebra (L46) and Hypancistrus zebra (L98) as similar catfishes — comparisons that do not mean L173 is a colour form of that species.
Habitat
The registry gives the Rio Xingu, Pará, Brazil, as the origin of L173 and the water type as clearwater. It names no stretch of the river and records no habitat place or substrate, depth or field water measurements. The river alone is the locality, so details such as rapids, depth or bottom type cannot be stated for this form.
Feeding
The registry classes L173 as an omnivore (Allesfresser) and lists plant-eating as not known, so whether it eats aquarium plants is not recorded. Keepers offer sinking pellets and wafers, frozen foods such as mosquito larvae, and a little vegetable matter. Wild feeding has not been documented for the Xingu fish, so the list reflects the class and not field observation.
Mating
The registry's sexing note is marked as genus-level: Hypancistrus males have a broader head, a slimmer waist, stronger pectoral-fin rays and more strongly developed odontodes. No courtship detail is recorded for L173. Spawning in the genus typically happens in a cave, where the male stays with the eggs and larvae; the registry rates caves as standard.
Breeding
L173 has been bred repeatedly in aquaria, according to the registry, whose bibliography includes a DATZ 7/2009 article on captive-bred L173. The registry also lists a known hybrid with Hypancistrus seideli (L333). Clutch size, incubation and fry development are not recorded.
In the aquarium
The registry's range for L173 is 79–86 °F and pH 5.0–7.0, with a recommended tank length of 23.5 in; this is aquarium guidance, not field data. Small groups are recommended, with a single fish possible. The genus does well in clean, well-oxygenated water with a current and caves or rock cover. Territorial behaviour toward other plecos is common.
Conservation
L173 is Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List; an undescribed form cannot be assessed until it has a name. The registry records it as not on Brazil's 2012 positive list and not on Brazil's 2020 negative list. Its actual status in the Xingu is unrecorded. In general, collection for the trade and river engineering affect the habitats of some L-number fishes.