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.
Parotocinclus is a genus of fish in the family Loricariidae native to South America. This genus is distributed through almost all hydrographic systems in South America from the Guyana Shield drainages and Amazon Shield tributaries to the coastal drainages of eastern and southeastern Brazil, including the rio São Francisco basin. Most species have the caudal peduncle oval in cross section. It has been found that Characidium species may interact with P. maculicauda. The small Characidium will follow grazing P. maculicauda, which release particulate matter dislodged from the catfish's foraging.
Hypostomus cochliodon is a species of armored catfish native to the Paraguay and middle Paraná River basins in northern Argentina, southern Brazil and Paraguay. Initially it did not occur in the upper Paraná basin above the Guaíra Falls, but these disappeared after the construction of the Itaipu Dam, allowing this species to spread. It grows to a standard length of 23 cm (9.1 in).
Parotocinclus haroldoi is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it is known from the state of Piauí in Brazil, with a 2020 redescription defining its range as the Parnaíba River basin. The species reaches 3.5 cm SL.
Hypostomus brevis is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it is known from the Paraná River basin in Brazil. The species reaches 7.4 cm SL and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus hermanni, sometimes known as Hermann's pleco, is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Tietê River basin, including the Piracicaba River, in Brazil. It is typically found in areas with flowing water of shallow to moderately shallow depth. The species reaches 24 cm in total length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus khimaera is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Paraguay River basin in Brazil. It is typically seen in small streams, including the Aquidauana River basin, where it is known from the margins of deeper, sandy areas. It is known to be syntopic with Hypostomus cochliodon in several parts of its range. The species reaches 16.4 cm SL and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. Its specific epithet, khimaera, derives from Greek and refers to the mythical chimera, as H. khimaera possesses features normally associated with multiple distinct species.
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.
Hypostomus topavae is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Paraná River drainage, including the Rio Grande basin. The species is very large for a loricariid, reaching 70 cm SL.
Hypostomus basilisko is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Salobra River basin, which is part of the Paraguay River basin in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil.
Hypostomus dardanelos is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. Its type locality is stated to be the Praia Grande River, a tributary of the Aripuanã in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.
Hypostomus denticulatus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Corumbá River in the Paraná River basin in Brazil. It is typically found in turbid waters with a substrate composed of rocks with some amount of sand. It is known to be syntopic with other loricariid species in the genus Hypostomus, including Hypostomus ancistroides, H. heraldoi, H. iheringii, H. margaritifer, and H. regani. The species reaches 19.1 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus heraldoi is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Corumbá River and Rio Grande basins in the upper Paraná River drainage in Brazil. It is typically found in turbid waters with a substrate composed of rocks with some amount of sand. It is known to be syntopic with other loricariid species in the genus Hypostomus, including Hypostomus ancistroides, H. denticulatus, H. iheringii, H. margaritifer, and H. regani. The species reaches 23.6 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus latirostris is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Paraguay River basin in Brazil and Paraguay. The species reaches 26 cm in total length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. While initially described by Charles Tate Regan in 1904, it was redescribed in 2018 by Cláudio Henrique Zawadzki, Hugmar Pains da Silva, and Waldo Pinheiro Troy alongside the description of the species Hypostomus renestoi.
Hypostomus renestoi is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the upper Paraguay River basin in Brazil. The species was described in 2018 by Cláudio Henrique Zawadzki, Hugmar Pains da Silva, and Waldo Pinheiro Troy alongside the redescription of Hypostomus latirostris. FishBase does not list this species.
Hypostomus nigropunctatus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Iguazu River in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The species reaches 23.3 cm (9.2 in) in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus pantherinus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Madeira River basin in Brazil. The species reaches at least 4.8 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. Although originally described by Rudolf Kner in 1854 based on a single specimen from the Guaporé River basin in Brazil, Hypostomus pantherinus was redescribed in 2021 and its range was found to also include Bolivia.
Hypostomus sertanejo is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Jaguaribe River basin in northeastern Brazil. The species reaches 18.9 cm in standard length. It was described in 2017 by Cláudio Henrique Zawadzki, Telton Pedro A. Ramos, and Mark H. Sabaj Pérez. FishBase does not yet list this species.
Hypostomus subcarinatus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the coastal drainage basins of eastern Brazil, including the São Francisco River basin. The species reaches 31 cm in total length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. Although originally described in 1855, no verifiable scientific record of the species was made until a 2014 survey of an urban lake in downtown Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais collected seven specimens that were later recognized as Hypostomus subcarinatus, leading to a redescription of the species in 2019.
Hypostomus variipictus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Rio Grande basin in Brazil, with its type locality being given as the Pardo River. The species reaches 37 cm in total length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. Within its range, it may be confused with the related species Hypostomus margaritifer, and some specimens of H. variipictus have previously been thought to represent an atypical color morph of H. margaritifer.
