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.
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. There is a lot of confusion as to the precise taxonomic structure of the Loricariidae.
Baryancistrus is a genus of freshwater Loricariid catfish. They inhabit flowing sections of rivers, especially clearwater, in the basins of the Amazon and Orinoco in Brazil and Venezuela. The largest species reach up to 34 cm (13 in) in total length.
Peckoltia is a genus of small South American armored suckermouth catfishes. Many of these fish are popular aquarium fish.
Hemiancistrus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes. These species are native to South America. The taxonomy of this genus is complex and unclear, and major work has to be done. Many of these fish are popular aquarium fish.
Corymbophanes is a genus of armored catfish native to South America where they are only known from Guyana. Corymbophanes was originally placed in its own tribe Corymbophanini, but the first comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily Hypostominae found Corymbophanes to be nested within the tribe Ancistrini.
Pterygoplichthyini is a tribe of catfishes of the family Loricariidae. It includes two genera, Pterygoplichthys and the currently undescribed genus referred to as the Hemiancistrus annectens group, This group was earlier misspelled as Pterygoplichthini. Pterygoplichthyines are known from nearly the entire range of loricariids except for the Guyanas and coastal streams in southeastern Brazil. although later work by the same authority, and his co-authors, placed this group among the genus Hypostomus.
Guyanancistrus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes.
The Kuribrong River is a river of Guyana, a tributary of the Potaro River 2 miles north east of Potaro Landing.
Peckoltia relictum is a species of armored catfish where it is found in the upper Marañon River in northern Peru.
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.
Peckoltia vittata is a species of catfish belonging to the subfamily Hypostominae of the family Loricariidae.
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.
Hemiancistrus subviridis, the green phantom pleco, is a species of armored catfish from the family Loricariidae, commonly found in Venezuela. Within Venezuela, it is native to the Orinoco and Casiquiare drainage basins, where it is usually found among granitic rocks in flowing water. The species reaches 15 cm SL.
Corymbophanes ameliae is a species of armored catfish native to South America where it is known only from the Kuribrong River in Guyana. The species reaches a length of 8.9 cm (3.5 in).
Chaetostoma platyrhynchus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Caquetá River basin in Colombia. The species reaches 9.5 cm in total length. The species is known to be of disputed classification and spelling.
Hemiancistrus guahiborum is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Orinoco drainage in Venezuela. The species reaches at least 12.55 cm SL and was described in 2005 by David C. Werneke and Jonathan W. Armbruster of Auburn University, Nathan K. Lujan of the American Museum of Natural History, and Donald C. Taphorn of the Royal Ontario Museum on the basis of its distinctive coloration and morphology. It appears in the aquarium trade, where it is usually known either as the orange-seam pleco or by its L-number, which is L-106.
Hypancistrus margaritatus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Takutu River of Guyana, which is a tributary of the Branco River, which is in turn a tributary of the Rio Negro in the Amazon basin. The species reaches 4.6 cm SL. Its specific epithet means "adorned with pearls" in Latin, referring to its distinctive pearl-like white spots. It was described in 2016 by Milton Tan and Jonathan W. Armbruster on the basis of coloration, alongside the related species Hypancistrus phantasma.
Peckoltia caenosa is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in streams in the llanos of Venezuela that are part of the Orinoco drainage basin. The streams that it inhabits are typically slow-flowing and muddy, and the species is often seen hiding inside submerged hollow logs during the day. The species reaches 15.7 cm SL. Its specific epithet is derived from a Latin word meaning "muddy" or "dirty", referring both to the species' mottled coloration and the muddy habitats in which it is found.
