Ancistrus is a genus of nocturnal freshwater fish in the family Loricariidae of order Siluriformes, native to freshwater habitats in South America and Panama. Fish of this genus are common in the aquarium trade where they are known as bushynose or bristlenose catfish. In the aquarium hobby they are often referred to as bushynose or bristlenose plecos instead, but this may lead to confusion as "pleco" usually is used for Hypostomus plecostomus and its allies and is often used as a catchall term for any loricariids remotely resembling that species.
Hypostomus plecostomus, also known as the suckermouth catfish or common pleco, is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the armored catfish family (Loricariidae), named for the longitudinal rows of armor-like scutes that cover the upper parts of the head and body. Although the name Hypostomus plecostomus is often used to refer to common plecostomus sold in aquarium shops, most are actually members of other genera.
Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish, with over 90 genera and just over 680 species. Loricariids originate from freshwater habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. Fossils indicate that they also inhabited Africa during the Cretaceous. These fish are noted for the bony plates covering their bodies and their suckermouths. Several genera are sold as "plecos", notably the suckermouth catfish, Hypostomus plecostomus, and are popular as aquarium fish.
The genus Panaque contains a small number of small to medium-sized South American suckermouth armoured catfishes that are notable for being among the very few vertebrates that feed extensively on wood. In addition, algae and aufwuchs are an important part of the diet, and they use their rasping teeth to scrape this from rocks. These fish are also popular aquarium fish, where the sound of scraping as these fish forage for food is easily audible.
Pseudorinelepis genibarbis is a species of armored catfish native to Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador where it is found in the Amazon basin.
Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus, also known as the Gold spot pleco or the Marbled sailfin pleco, is a species of armored catfish. It is endemic to Brazil, occurring in the Tocantins River basin. It is often mistaken for Pterygoplichthys pardalis or Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps.
Pterygoplichthys, sometimes collectively known as janitor fish, is a genus of South American armored catfishes. These fish are commonly known as sailfin armoured catfish or sailfin plecs, especially in the aquarium trade.
Acanthicus is a genus of large, South American suckermouth armored catfishes native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and possibly in Guyana. The name Acanthicus is derived from the Greek, akanthikos meaning thorny, spiny. Fish of this genus are known as lyre-tail plecos. These species are found in large rivers, primarily in areas with a rocky bottom and a moderate or strong current.
Rineloricaria is a genus of freshwater tropical catfish belonging to the family Loricariidae. They are commonly called whiptail catfish because of the long filament that grows out of the tip of the caudal fin that is characteristic of the genus. With the exception of R. altipinnis from Panama, they are native to the rivers of northern and central South America. Some species are regularly seen in the aquarium trade.
Hypancistrus is a genus of loricariid catfish originating from the Amazon basin in South America. Unlike many of the other Loricariids, however, some Hypancistrus species are more carnivorous and enjoy meat in their diet. Hypancistrus species are popular aquarium fish, including such popular fish as the zebra pleco and Queen Arabesque pleco.
Peckoltia is a genus of small South American armored suckermouth catfishes. Many of these fish are popular aquarium fish.
Hemiancistrus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes. These species are native to South America. The taxonomy of this genus is complex and unclear, and major work has to be done. Many of these fish are popular aquarium fish.
Pareiorhina is a genus of armored catfishes native to South America where they are only found in Brazil. These species are known to occur at altitudes above 650 metres (2100 ft) in various rivers of the Grande, Paraíba do Sul, São Francisco and Tietê River basins. This genus was first erected by Gosline in 1947 as a monotypic genus to include Rhinelepis rudolphi. It was not until 2003 that a second species, P. carrancas, was described. The third species, P. brachyrhyncha was described in 2005. Pareiorhina forms a monophyletic subunit with Neoplecostomus within the subfamily Neoplecostominae.
Pseudacanthicus is a genus of medium to large-sized suckermouth armored catfishes native to South America, where found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as rivers of the Guianas. They are primarily found in fast-flowing waters, sometimes relatively deep. They are sometimes kept in aquariums.
Acanthicus hystrix, the lyre-tail pleco, is a species of armored catfish native to the Amazon, Tocantins–Araguaia and Orinoco basins. It is typically found at various depths on a rock or rock–gravel bottom in the main channel of rivers in places with moderate to strong current, although it also occurs in slow currents. The species is occasionally seen in the aquarium trade, but its adult size and territorially aggressive behavior means that a very large tank is required.
Peckoltia pankimpuju is a species of armored catfish from the family Loricariidae, native to the Marañón River in the upper Amazon basin of Peru. It is commonly called the coal pleco, Peruvian lyre-tail, and L350 under the L-number code. It reaches up to about 40 cm (16 in) in length.
Ancistrus ranunculus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the basins of the Xingu River, Trombetas River and the Tocantins River in Brazil. It inhabits areas with clear water and without strong currents, and it is known to inhabit narrow cracks in submerged rocks, small passages, and spaces below flat rocks. The species is large for a member of Ancistrus, reaching 19.5 cm (7.7 in) in total length. It sometimes appears in the aquarium trade, where it is one of several species known as a medusa pleco, although it may be referred to by its L-number, L034.
Hemiancistrus guahiborum is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Orinoco drainage in Venezuela and Colombia. The species reaches at least 12.55 cm (4.94 in) SL and was described in 2005 by David C. Werneke and Jonathan W. Armbruster of Auburn University, Nathan K. Lujan of the American Museum of Natural History, and Donald C. Taphorn of the Royal Ontario Museum on the basis of its distinctive coloration and morphology. It appears in the aquarium trade, where it is usually known either as the orange-seam pleco or by its L-number, which is L-106.
Pseudacanthicus pirarara is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae native to South America. It was described in 2016 by Carine C. Chamon of the Federal University of Tocantins and Leandro M. de Sousa of the Federal University of Pará, primarily on the basis of the species' unique coloration and patterning. Its specific epithet, pirarara, derives from a Tupi word meaning "macaw-fish", which is frequently used in Brazil to refer to the redtail catfish. It is known that P. pirarara is referred to as the assacu-pirarara by Brazilian fishermen, alluding both to its coloration and its spines, as assacu refers to the spine-covered tree Hura crepitans.
Pseudacanthicus pitanga is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Tocantins River basin in Brazil. The species reaches 30 cm SL. It was described in 2015 by Carine C. Chamon of the Federal University of Tocantins on the basis of distinctive coloration and morphology. Its specific epithet, pitanga, is derived from a Tupi-Guarani word meaning "red", in reference to the color of the species' fins.
