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. The taxonomic structure of the Loricariidae is still being expanded by scientists. Hypostomus is a highly species-rich and widely distributed catfish genus.
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.
Pseudancistrus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes native to South America.
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.
Ancistrini is a tribe of catfishes of the family Loricariidae. Most are restricted to tropical and subtropical South America, but there are also several genus in southern Central America.
Lithoxus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes native to tropical South America.
Panaqolus is a genus of small catfish in the family Loricariidae native to rivers in tropical South America. Its members were formerly thought to belong to a clade of small-sized species in the genus Panaque, until this genus was separated from Panaque in 2001. At times it has been considered a subgenus of Panaque, and the validity of the genus has been disputed by various authors and sources. Pseudoqolus koko was formerly considered to be a member of this genus, although it was reclassified as a member of the currently monotypic genus Pseudoqolus by Nathan K. Lujan, Christian A. Cramer, Raphael Covain, Sonia Fisch-Muller, and Hernán López-Fernández following a 2017 molecular phylogenetic analysis.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Peckoltia lujani is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Orinoco and Meta River basins in Venezuela and Colombia. The species reaches 7.5 cm SL.
Peckoltia wernekei is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Ventuari River, which is a tributary of the Orinoco in the state of Amazonas in Venezuela. The species reaches at least 10.46 cm SL.
Pseudancistrus orinoco is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Orinoco basin. The species reaches 10 cm in total length.
Pseudancistrus yekuana is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae.
'Pseudancistrus' megacephalus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is of uncertain and disputed classification.
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.
