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.
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.
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.
Rhadinoloricaria is a genus of catfish endemic to South America. It was considered to be monotypic until the 2020 discovery of a second species.
Rhadinoloricaria macromystax is a species of catfish in the genus Rhadinoloricaria. The species was formerly the only member of the genus; however in 2020 a new species, R. stewarti, was described.
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.
Chaetostoma, also known as the bristlemouth catfish, is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes native to South America with one species, C. fischeri, extending into Panama. Most species inhabit flowing rivers in the lower Andes and its foothills. Some species are kept in unheated aquaria.
Hemiancistrus subviridis, the green phantom pleco, is a species of armored catfish from the family Loricariidae, commonly found in Venezuela. Within Venezuela, it is native to the Orinoco and Casiquiare drainage basins, where it is usually found among granitic rocks in flowing water. The species reaches 15 cm SL.
Andeancistrus eschwartzae is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is a freshwater fish native to South America, where it occurs in the Amundalo River, which is part of the Pastaza River drainage basin in Ecuador. The species reaches 14.4 cm SL and it is named after Eugenia Schwartz, who is noted to have supported the research needed to describe the species.
Andeancistrus platycephalus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Zamora River basin, which is part of the upper Marañon River drainage in Ecuador. The species reaches 14.5 cm in total length. The species was known as Cordylancistrus platycephalus until a 2015 reclassification, when Nathan K. Lujan, Vanessa Meza-Vargas, and Ramiro Barriga-Salazar constructed the genera Andeancistrus and Transancistrus.
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 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.
Hemiancistrus chlorostictus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Uruguay River basin, including the Passo Fundo River, in Brazil. The species reaches 14.7 cm SL.
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. The species reaches at least 12.55 cm 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.
Hemiancistrus landoni is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Guayas River basin in Ecuador. The species reaches 25 cm in total length.
Hemiancistrus medians is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Maroni basin. This species is usually found in rapids with a strong current and a substrate of large, shelter-providing rocks. It is known to coexist with the species Bryconops caudomaculatus, Chasmocranus longior, Harttia surinamensis, Hypostomus gymnorhynchus, Jupiaba meunieri, Leporinus granti, and Parodon guyanensis.
Hemiancistrus megalopteryx is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Tubarão River basin in the state of Santa Catarina in Brazil. The species reaches 28.6 cm SL.
Hemiancistrus meizospilos is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Uruguay River basin in Brazil. The species reaches 14.9 cm SL.
