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.
Hypostomus niceforoi is a species of suckermouth armored catfish. H. niceforoi reaches 13.5 cm SL and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Ancistrus trinitatis is a dubious species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is known only from the Caribbean, where it occurs in freshwater environments on the island of Trinidad in Trinidad and Tobago. This species is of uncertain validity, as Theodore Gill referred to the type material in 1858 as Ancistrus guacharote and it was later described by Albert Günther in 1864 as Chaetostomus trinitatis, but neither description is considered sufficient to determine the validity and identity of the taxon. While the original locality of the type material was listed as Puerto Rico, this was determined to be in error and the material was determined to have actually originated from the Maracaibo Basin of Venezuela. In 1946, Henry Weed Fowler described the species Ancistrus maracasae from Trinidad, and in 2019, Lesley S. De Souza, Donald C. Taphorn, and Jonathan W. Armbruster determined that A. maracasae and A. trinitatis are synonymous, designating the holotype of A. maracasae as the neotype of A. trinitatis, although sources such as FishBase and ITIS list the two species as valid but separate.
Aphanotorulus emarginatus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Amazon River basin. The species reaches 15 cm in total length. It is known to be a facultative air-breather.
Aphanotorulus gomesi is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Jaguaribe River basin. The species reaches 14.3 cm SL. It is thought to be a facultative air-breather.
Aphanotorulus horridus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Madeira River basin. The species reaches 35.5 cm SL. It is thought to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus lexi is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Grande River basin in Brazil. The species is large for a loricariid, reaching 46 cm SL, and it 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 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 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 SL and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus robinii, commonly known as the teta, is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to the Caribbean, where it occurs in freshwater habitats on the island of Trinidad. It inhabits fast-flowing streams, where it feeds on periphyton.
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 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 aspidolepis is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae that is of disputed taxonomic identity. It is a freshwater fish native to Central America, where it occurs in the Gatún River basin in the Caribbean coastal drainage of Panama. The species reaches 40 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. Although originally described as a member of Chaetostomus by Albert Günther in 1867, it has subsequently been classified within Hypostomus, the now-invalid genus Plecostomus, and Hemiancistrus. A 2015 review conducted by Jonathan W. Armbruster, David C. Werneke, and Milton Tan recognized the species within Hypostomus, although sources such as FishBase, WoRMS and ITIS still consider it a member of Hemiancistrus.
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 interruptus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Ribeira de Iguape River basin in Brazil, with the type locality reportedly being the Juquiá River. The species reaches 12 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus margaritifer is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the upper and middle Paraná River basin. The species reaches 33 cm (13 in) in total length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. It is known to be syntopic with other loricariid species in the genus Hypostomus, including Hypostomus ancistroides, H. denticulatus, H. heraldoi, H. iheringii, and H. regani.
Hypostomus micromaculatus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the upper and middle Suriname River basin. The species reaches 18.5 cm (7.3 in) in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Hypostomus roseopunctatus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Uruguay River basin in the Río de la Plata system in Argentina and Brazil. The species reaches 43.3 cm in total length, can weigh up to at least 796 g, and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
