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.
Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish, with 92 genera and just over 680 species. Loricariids originate from freshwater habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. 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.
Hypostomus is a genus of catfish in the family Loricariidae. They are native to tropical and subtropical South America. H. plecostomus is the popular freshwater aquarium fish formerly known as Plecostomus plecostomus. The taxonomic structure of the Loricariidae is still being expanded by scientists. Hypostomus is a highly species-rich and widely distributed catfish genus.
Pseudancistrus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes native to South America.
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.
Neblinichthys is a small genus of suckermouth armored catfishes native to South America.
Panaqolus is a genus of small catfish in the family Loricariidae native to rivers in tropical South America. Its members were formerly thought to belong to a clade of small-sized species in the genus Panaque, until this genus was separated from Panaque in 2001. At times it has been considered a subgenus of Panaque, and the validity of the genus has been disputed by various authors and sources. Pseudoqolus koko was formerly considered to be a member of this genus, although it was reclassified as a member of the currently monotypic genus Pseudoqolus by Nathan K. Lujan, Christian A. Cramer, Raphael Covain, Sonia Fisch-Muller, and Hernán López-Fernández following a 2017 molecular phylogenetic analysis.
Peckoltia sabaji is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the basins of the Rupununi, the Essequibo River, and the Takutu River in Guyana, as well as the basins of the Casiquiare canal, the Rio Negro, the Cinaruco River, and the Orinoco in Venezuela. It is usually found among boulders in medium to large rivers. The species reaches 19.8 cm SL and is of disputed classification.
Ancistrus kellerae is a relatively new species of nocturnal freshwater fish found in the Potaro River and its tributaries. It is a small sized Ancistrus ranging between 1 – 69 mm in body length, being widest right below the opercles and narrowing to the peduncle. Like other fish in the genus Ancistrus, A. kellerae has small papillate located on both the suckermouth and longer ones on the snout.
Ancistrus amaris is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Orinoco River and Apure River basins in Venezuela. The species reaches at least 11.57 cm SL and was described in 2019 by Lesley S. de Souza of the Field Museum of Natural History, Donald C. Taphorn of the Royal Ontario Museum, and Jonathan Armbruster of Auburn University alongside five other species of Ancistrus. FishBase does not list this species.
Ancistrus saudades is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the basins of the Takutu River, the Ventuari River, the Caroní River, and the Caura River in Guyana, Venezuela, and Brazil. The species reaches at least 10.75 cm SL and was described in 2019 by Lesley S. de Souza of the Field Museum of Natural History, Donald C. Taphorn of the Royal Ontario Museum, and Jonathan Armbruster of Auburn University alongside five other species of Ancistrus. FishBase does not list this species.
Ancistrus yutajae is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs only in the Yutajé River in Venezuela. The species reaches at least 8.28 cm SL and was described in 2019 by Lesley S. de Souza of the Field Museum of Natural History, Donald C. Taphorn of the Royal Ontario Museum, and Jonathan Armbruster of Auburn University alongside five other species of Ancistrus. FishBase does not list this species.
Ancistrus falconensis is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is a freshwater species native to South America, where it occurs in the Hueque River and the Ricoa River in the state of Falcón in Venezuela. The species reaches at least 16.12 cm SL and was described in 2010 by Donald C. Taphorn, Jonathan W. Armbruster, and Douglas Rodríguez-Olarte on the basis of morphological differences from the species Ancistrus gymnorhynchus, which occurs in a similar geographic region.
Ancistrus maracasae is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is a freshwater fish native to the Caribbean, where it occurs in the basin of the Maracas River, which is a major tributary of the Caroni River in Trinidad and Tobago, indicating that it is endemic to the island of Trinidad. The species reaches 8.3 cm SL.
Ancistrus patronus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Orinoco basin in Venezuela. The species reaches at least 8.6 cm SL and was described in 2019 by Lesley S. de Souza of the Field Museum of Natural History, Donald C. Taphorn of the Royal Ontario Museum, and Jonathan Armbruster of Auburn University alongside five other species of Ancistrus. Its specific name means "defender" in Latin and was given to the species due to the reported tendency of male A. patronus to actively guard their nests and protect their young until they are relatively large.
Chaetostoma platyrhynchus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Caquetá River basin in Colombia. The species reaches 9.5 cm in total length. The species is known to be of disputed classification and spelling.
'Pseudancistrus' megacephalus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is of uncertain and disputed classification.
Aphanotorulus phrixosoma is a dubious species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the upper Amazon River basin. The species reaches 10.1 cm SL. It is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus salgadae is a disputed species of catfish in the family Loricariidae that may be synonymous with the species Hypostomus carvalhoi. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Jaguaribe River basin in Brazil. FishBase reports the maximum length of the species as 2 cm in standard length, but it is likely that the species can exceed this size. It is believed to be a facultative or obligate air-breather.
