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.
Cordylancistrus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfish native to South America. It is much the same as Chaetostoma. The few differences are a wider head, longer cheek odontodes, and plates on the snout. Cordylancistrus can be found in rivers and streams high in the Andes, from Venezuela to Colombia.
Pseudancistrus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes native to South America.
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.
Astroblepus is a genus of fish in the family Astroblepidae found in South America and Panama. This genus is the only member of its family. These catfishes are primarily found in torrential streams in the Andean area. Astroblepus pholeter and A. riberae are troglobites adapted to living in subterranean water systems. These species are typically small, less than 10 cm (4 in). The largest species reaches 30 cm (1 ft). These fish have suckermouths like those of loricariids. They have two pairs of barbels, maxillary and nasal. The dorsal fin spine lacks a locking mechanism. These fish also have odontodes, tiny teeth on their skin. All species exhibit a conical, pointy type on their fin rays like that found in other loricarioids; other species also exhibit a blunt type that is only found on their skin.
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.
Farlowella is a genus of fish in the family Loricariidae native to South America. This genus is broadly distributed in Amazon, Orinoco, Paraná and coastal rivers of the Guyana Shield. It is absent from the Pacific slope of the Andes and from the coastal rivers of the Brazilian Shield. Many of these species are kept in aquariums. This genus has a unique body shape that resembles a thin stick of wood. The body is slender and elongate, often with a pronounced rostrum and a brownish color with two lateral dark stripes beginning at the tip of the rostrum, passing over the eyes and ending at the tail, which are periodically interrupted on the caudal peduncle.
Sturisoma is a genus of armored catfishes native to Central and South America.
Loricaria is a genus of armored catfish native to South America.
Ancistrini is a tribe of catfishes of the family Loricariidae. Most are restricted to tropical and subtropical South America, but there are also several genus in southern Central America.
Pimelodella is a genus of three-barbeled catfishes.
Chaetostoma carrioni is a species of armored catfish from South America. These fish reach 7.8 centimetres (3.1 in) SL. These fish are demersal and live in tropical, freshwater habitats. They are found in the Marañón River basin in Ecuador.
Chaetostoma lexa is a species of armored catfish only known from streams and rivers that feed into the Huallaga River near Tingo María, Leoncio Prado Province, Peru. This species grows to a length of 4.89 centimetres (1.93 in) SL. The genus Loraxichthys is a synonym of Chaetostoma.
Chaetostoma bifurcum is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is a freshwater fish native to South America, where it is found in the Pacific coastal drainages of Ecuador and Peru, including the basins of the Esmeraldas River, the Guayas River, the Santa Rosa River, and the Tumbes River. It inhabits regions of foothills at an elevation of 100 to 650 m above sea level. The species reaches 14 cm SL.
Chaetostoma trimaculineum is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the drainage basins of the Santiago River and the Marañón River in Ecuador and Peru. The species reaches 16 cm SL.
Chaetostoma chimu is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Andean foothills of the Orinoco basin in Colombia. It was described in 2020 by Alexander Urbano-Bonilla and Gustavo A. Ballen on the basis of the distinctive morphology and coloration of the 119 specimens examined. FishBase does not list this species.
Chaetostoma floridablancaensis is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs only in Colombia. The species reaches 10.1 cm SL, was described in 2013, and was named for the municipality of Floridablanca in Colombia's Santander Department, the homeland of Carlos A. Ardila Rodríguez, the description's author.
Chaetostoma joropo is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Cusiana River basin in the Orinoco drainage in Colombia. The species reaches at least 12.47 cm SL and was described in 2016 by Gustavo A. Ballen of the University of London, as well as Alexander Urbano-Bonilla and Javier A. Maldonado-Ocampo of the Pontifical Xavierian University. It appears in the aquarium trade, where it is frequently referred to by its L-number, which is L-445. This species has reportedly been known to aquarists for quite some time prior to its 2016 scientific description.
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.
