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.
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).
Hypostomus ericae is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the upper Tocantins River drainage in Brazil. The species reaches 24 cm in total length. Its specific epithet, ericae, honors Erica Pellegrini Caramaschi, who collected the first specimens of the species. The fish was formally described as a species new to science in 2005 by Pedro Hollanda Carvalho and Claude Weber in 2005. Characteristics that distinguish it from other catfish in genus Hypostomus include the number of odontodes in the opercle; its colour pattern, which features widely spaced spots on its body; the presence of a buccal papilla; and the depth of its caudal peduncle.
Hypostomus formosae is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is a freshwater species native to South America, where it occurs in the Paraguay River basin. The species reaches at least 24.9 cm SL.
Hypostomus latifrons is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Paraguay River basin. The species reaches 28.7 cm SL and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus perdido is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Perdido River, which is part of the Paraguay River basin in Brazil. It is typically found in portions of the river that have still or slow-moving water. The species reaches 18.1 cm SL and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. Its specific epithet, perdido, references the river in which it occurs.
Hypostomus regani is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the basins of the Paraná River, the Paraguay River, and the Uruguay River. The species reaches 41 cm (16 in) SL and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus weberi is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the middle Rio Negro in Brazil. One record of the species' occurrence refers to a "río Cicipa", which is thought to possibly correspond with the Siapa River, a tributary of the Casiquiare in Venezuela. The species is typically found in rapids or flooded forest environments. It reaches 17.5 cm SL and is known to feed on detritus. Its specific epithet, weberi, honors Claude Weber of the Natural History Museum of Geneva, for his contributions to knowledge of the genus Hypostomus.
Hypostomus basilisko, the basilisk pleco, is a species of armored suckermouth catfish from South America. It is endemic to the Salobra River basin, which is part of the Paraguay River basin in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil.
Hypostomus boulengeri is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America. The species reaches 24.5 cm SL and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
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 ericius, sometimes known as the beige cochliodon, is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the upper Amazon River drainage in Peru. The species reaches 18.7 cm in standard length.
Hypostomus angipinnatus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Río de La Plata drainage basin, as well as possibly the Paraguay River basin, although further investigation has found its presence in the Paraguay basin unlikely. The species reaches 15 cm in length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus careopinnatus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Taquari River basin in the upper Paraguay River drainage of Brazil. The species reaches 5.8 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. Unusually among species of Hypostomus, H. careopinnatus lacks an adipose fin. Although Hypostomus levis also lacks an adipose fin, this characteristic is thought to have evolved independently.
Hypostomus hemicochliodon is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Amazon River basin in Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru, as well as the Rio Negro and Orinoco drainage basins in Venezuela. The species reaches 36.2 cm in total length, can weigh up to at least 510 g, and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus kopeyaka is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the basin of the Tiquié River, a tributary of the Vaupés River, which is itself a tributary of the Rio Negro, in Brazil, although it has also been reported from Vaupés Department in Colombia. It generally occurs in rapids, cataract pools, and slow-flowing portions of the Tiquié and some of its large tributaries. The species reaches 22.6 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. Its specific epithet, kopeyaka, refers to its common name in the Tuyuca and Tucano languages, kope ya’ka, reportedly meaning "pleco from the holes", in reference to the species' tendency to hide in holes in the river bank.
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 peckoltoides is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Cuiabá River in the upper Paraguay River basin in Brazil. It is typically found in environments with turbid water, a substrate composed of rocks and sand, and various types of riparian vegetation. It is known to be syntopic with other species of Hypostomus, including H. boulengeri, H. cochliodon, H. latifrons, H. latirostris, and H. regani.
Hypostomus pospisili is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it is known only from Venezuela. The species is believed to be a facultative air-breather. A 2003 taxonomic review conducted by Jonathan W. Armbruster of Auburn University listed Hypostomus pospisili as a synonym of Hypostomus hondae, although multiple sources recognize H. pospisili as a distinct species.
