The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about 7,000,000 km2 (2,700,000 sq mi), or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela, as well as the territory of French Guiana.
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.
Loricaria is a genus of armored catfish native to South America.
Panaque bathyphilus is an Amazonian species of armoured catfish from the family Loricariidae. The holotype of the species was collected in the Solimões River, upstream of its confluence with the Purus River. This species has been known in the aquarium trade, at least since 1992, as papa panaque or under the L-number code L090. It reaches up to about 40 cm (16 in) in length.
Peckoltia pankimpuju is a species of armored catfish from the family Loricariidae, native to the Marañón River in the upper Amazon basin of Peru. It is commonly called the coal pleco, Peruvian lyre-tail, and L350 under the L-number code. It reaches up to about 40 cm (16 in) in length.
Pseudoqolus koko is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae and the only species in the genus Pseudoqolus. It is a freshwater fish native to South America, where it occurs in the Maroni basin. It is usually found on or near stony substrates in the main river channel at a depth of around 2 m. The species has been collected alongside multiple other loricariid species, including Hemiancistrus medians, Peckoltia otali, Pseudancistrus barbatus, Harttia guianensis, Loricaria cataphracta, and Rineloricaria stewarti. It is noted that the gut contents of one specimen of this species contained primarily spicules and sponge fragments, indicating that it may feed on freshwater sponges. The species reaches 9 cm SL.
Panaqolus nix is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Madeira River and the Mamoré River in Brazil, as well as the Madre de Dios River drainage basin in Peru. It is reported to have been caught in cofferdams at hydroelectric power plant construction sites in the Madeira River, with most specimens being collected at depths of 3.1 to 11 m in environments with a strong current. The species reaches 11.2 cm SL and is known to be quite variable in color. Its specific epithet, nix, derives from the Latin word for "snow", referring both to the species' characteristic white spots that are said to resemble snowflakes and the tendency of some individuals to be entirely pale.
Hypostomus arecuta is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is a freshwater fish native to South America, where it occurs in the Paraná River in Argentina.
Hypostomus leucophaeus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Itapicuru River basin in the state of Bahia in Brazil. It is typically seen in stretches of rivers up to 50 m (160 ft) wide and 1.8 m (5.9 ft) deep, with clear water, rocky substrates, moderate to fast current, and an altitude of 38 to 449 m above sea level. The species reaches 15.8 cm (6.2 in) in standard length. Its specific epithet, leucophaeus, is derived from Latin and means "ash-colored", in reference to the general coloration and patterning of the species.
Loricaria apeltogaster is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the drainage basins of the Paraguay River, the Paraná River, and the Uruguay River in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The species reaches 32.4 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Loricaria birindellii is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Curuá River, a tributary of the Iriri River, which is itself a tributary of the Xingu River, with its type locality being listed as the municipality of Altamira in the state of Pará in Brazil. The species reaches 36.5 cm (14.4 in) in total length, can weigh up to at least 118.2 g (4.17 oz), and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Loricaria coximensis is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the basin of the Coxim River, for which it is named, near the municipality of São Gabriel do Oeste in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil. The gut contents of one individual examined contained only seeds, indicating that the species may be granivorous. The species reaches 9.4 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Loricaria cuffyi is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Essequibo River and Rio Negro basins in Guyana, as well as the Orinoco basin in Venezuela, with its type locality being designated as the Ireng River. The species was described on the basis of 36 specimens in 2020 by Alejandro Londoño-Burbano, Alexander Urbano-Bonilla, and Matthew R. Thomas. FishBase does not yet list this species.
Loricaria luciae, sometimes known as Lucia's whiptail, is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Paraguay River basin in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay, ranging south to the Paraguay's confluence with the Paraná River. It is typically found in habitats with flowing water, ranging in size from arroyos to large rivers, where it generally occurs at a depth of less than 1.5 m in environments with soft substrates. It is sometimes seen in riffles and blackwater areas. The species reaches 18.9 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. Its specific epithet, luciae, honors Lúcia H. Rapp Py-Daniel of the National Institute of Amazonian Research for her contributions to loricariid taxonomy and systematics.
Loricaria lundbergi is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Rio Negro drainage basin in Brazil and Venezuela. It is typically found in blackwater habitats. An analysis of the stomach contents of a single individual found evidence of feeding on insect larvae, including those of the family Chironomidae, as well as sand and detritus. The species reaches 13.8 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. Its specific epithet, lundbergi, honors John G. Lundberg of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University for his contributions to Neotropical ichthyology.
Loricaria pumila is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, being known from Brazil, where it occurs in the Amazon River basin, near the mouths of the Tapajós and the Pará River, including the lower Tocantins River. It is reportedly typically found at depths between 3 and 29 m and distances of 15 to 1,500 m from the shoreline, in environments characterized by a substrate of silt and organic detritus. An analysis of the stomach contents of a single individual found evidence of feeding on insects and aquatic insect larvae, as well as sand and detritus. The species reaches 8.1 cm (3.2 in) in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather. Its specific epithet, pumila, is derived from Latin and means "dwarf", referring to the small adult size of the species.
Loricaria simillima is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the basins of the Amazon River, the Orinoco, and the Río de la Plata in Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. The species reaches 26.4 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Loricaria tucumanensis is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Dulce River basin in Argentina. The species reaches 12.1 cm in standard length and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
Pareiorhina cepta is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the São Francisco River basin in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. It is known to occur alongside the species Astyanax rivularis, Characidium fasciatum, Neoplecostomus franciscoensis, and Trichomycterus macrotrichopterus. The species reaches 4.4 cm (1.7 in) in standard length.
Pareiorhina hyptiorhachis is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the basins of the Pomba River and the Paraíba do Sul in Brazil. It is typically found in small streams with moderate to fast flow, margins covered in aquatic vegetation, and a substrate composed of rocks and sand. It is known to occur alongside the species Geophagus brasiliensis and Neoplecostomus microps, as well as members of the genera Astyanax, Characidium, Harttia, Imparfinis, and Trichomycterus. The species reaches 3.9 cm (1.5 in) in standard length.
