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.
Hypostomus plecostomus, also known as the suckermouth catfish or the common pleco, is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the armored catfish family (Loricariidae), named for the longitudinal rows of armor-like scutes that cover the upper parts of the head and body. Although the name Hypostomus plecostomus is often used to refer to common plecostomus sold in aquarium shops, most are actually members of other genera.
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 punctatus, the suckermouthed catfish, is a tropical fish belonging to the armored suckermouth catfish family, Loricariidae. Hypostomus punctatus is a freshwater fish native to South America, in the coastal drainages of southeastern Brazil and Uruguay. It is one of a number of species commonly referred to as "plecostomus" or "common pleco" by aquarists.
The genus Panaque contains a small number of small to medium-sized South American suckermouth armoured catfishes that are notable for being among the very few vertebrates that feed extensively on wood. In addition, algae and aufwuchs are an important part of the diet, and they use their rasping teeth to scrape this from rocks. These fish are also popular aquarium fish, where the sound of scraping as these fish forage for food is easily audible.
Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus is one of several tropical fish commonly known as Orinoco sailfin catfish, plecostomus. It belongs to the armored catfish family (Loricariidae). Named for its sail-like dorsal fin, the part of its scientific name multiradiatus means "many-rayed" and refers to the rays of the dorsal fin. P. multiradiatus is one of a number of species commonly referred to as the common pleco by aquarists.
Pterygoplichthys pardalis, the Amazon sailfin catfish, is a freshwater tropical fish in the armored catfish family (Loricariidae). It is one of a number of species commonly referred to as the common pleco or "leopard pleco" by aquarists.
Peckoltia sabaji is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the basins of the Rupununi, the Essequibo River, and the Takutu River in Guyana, as well as the basins of the Casiquiare canal, the Rio Negro, the Cinaruco River, and the Orinoco in Venezuela. It is usually found among boulders in medium to large rivers. The species reaches 19.8 cm SL and is of disputed classification.
Ancistrus maculatus is a tropical fish belonging to the armored catfish family (Loricariidae). The name Ancistrus is derived from the Greek word meaning "hook", akgistron, which refers to the interopercular odontodes found in members of the genus. This fish has the characteristic armored plates of its family and can reach 11.8 cm in standard length when fully grown.
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.
Pterygoplichthys anisitsi also known as the Paraná sailfin catfish, southern sailfin catfish, is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. Its natural range is the middle Paraná and Uruguay River basins of south-central South America, but it has been introduced to North America and South Asia, probably via the pet trade. Like other loricariid catfishes, Pterygoplichthys anisitsi has a ventral mouth modified into a sucking disk and a body covered in bony plates. The species typically has a dark and white spotted body pattern, although some individuals are very dark with few spots. It reaches 55 cm in total length and can weigh up to at least 2.3 kg.
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.
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 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 fonchii is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Cushabatay River basin, which is itself part of the Ucayali River drainage in Peru, as well as the Mamoré River basin in Bolivia. It is typically found in clear, high-altitude waters with large rocks, dead leaves and wood, an absence of aquatic vegetation, and a substrate of sand, clay, or pebbles. The species reaches 15.4 cm SL.
Hypostomus francisci is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the upper São Francisco River basin. The species reaches 36 cm SL.
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 watwata, commonly known as the armored catfish, is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the coastal drainages of Guyana and French Guiana, ranging from the Oyapock to the Demerara River. It is an introduced species in Hawaii.
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.
