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The Living Encyclopedia
Explore our comprehensive database of reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. Discover detailed care guides, morph varieties, and community setups.
fish
Diagonal Bar Prawn Goby
Amblyeleotris diagonalis
Amblyeleotris is a genus of fish in the family Gobiidae found throughout the Indo-Pacific region. This is the largest genus of the shrimp gobies or prawn gobies, so-called because of their symbiotic relationship with certain alpheid shrimps. The shrimp excavates and maintains a burrow used by both animals while the goby, which has far superior eyesight, acts as a lookout for predators. The shrimp maintains almost constant contact with the fish with an antenna. Fossil Amblyeleotris otoliths have been found together with alpheid shrimp remnants from as early as late early Miocene (Burdigalian) suggesting a possible mutualistic association since then.
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fish
L014 Sunshine Pleco
Scobinancistrus aureatus
Scobinancistrus aureatus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Xingu River basin in Brazil. The species reaches 29 cm in total length.
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fish
L018 Gold Nugget Pleco
Baryancistrus xanthellus
Baryancistrus xanthellus is a species of armored catfish endemic to Brazil. It is a benthic fresh water fish that lives in the Volta Grande and Xingu River, as well as the area immediately above Belo Monte falls and the Iriri River. It reaches a length of 22.4 centimetres (8.8 in) SL. It appears in the aquarium trade, where it is typically referred to either by its associated L-numbers, which are L018, L081, L085, L177, LDA60, LDA116 or LDA117; or as the gold nugget pleco.
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fish
L027 Royal Pleco
Panaque armbrusteri
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.
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fish
L066 King Tiger Pleco
Hypancistrus sp.
Hypancistrus is a genus of loricariid catfish originating from the Amazon basin in South America. Unlike many of the other loricariids, some Hypancistrus species have carnivorous tendencies and enjoy meat in their diet. Many Hypancistrus species are popular aquarium fish.
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fish
L090 Papa Panaque
Panaque bathyphilus
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.
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fish
L091 Three Beacon Pleco
Leporacanthicus triactis
Leporacanthicus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes native to South America.
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fish
L128 Blue Phantom Pleco
Hemiancistrus sp.
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.
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fish
L200 Green Phantom Pleco
Hemiancistrus subviridis
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.
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fish
L191 Dull Eyed Royal Pleco
Panaque sp.
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.
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fish
L201 Orinoco Angel Pleco
Hypancistrus contradens
Hypancistrus contradens is a species of armored catfish endemic to Venezuela where it occurs in the Orinoco River.
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fish
L204 Flash Pleco
Panaqolus albivermis
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.
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fish
L239 Blue Panaque
Baryancistrus beggini
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.
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fish
L240 Vampire Pleco
Leporacanthicus galaxias
Leporacanthicus galaxias is a species of armored catfish native to Brazil and Venezuela. This species grows to a length of 21.1 centimetres (8.3 in) SL. L. galaxias originates from fast flowing rapids.
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fish
L264 Sultan Pleco
Leporacanthicus joselimai
Leporacanthicus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes native to South America.
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fish
Albino Bristlenose Pleco
Ancistrus sp. 'Albino'
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.
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fish
Super Red Bristlenose Pleco
Ancistrus sp. 'Super Red'
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.
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fish
Longfin Bristlenose Pleco
Ancistrus sp. 'Longfin'
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.
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fish
Starlight Bristlenose Pleco
Ancistrus dolichopterus
The bushymouth catfish is a species of armored catfish native to Brazil and Guyana. It is found in the middle Amazon basin and in the basins of the Rio Negro, the lower Trombetas, the Tefé, the Madeira and the Tapajós Rivers. This species grows to a length of 11.8 centimetres (4.6 in) SL. This species is found in the aquarium trade.
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fish
Adolfo's Cory
Corydoras adolfoi
Adolfo's catfish is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Corydoradinae, the corys, of the family Callichthyidae, the armoured catfishes. This species is found in the Rio Negro basin and the Rio Uapes in Brazil. It is also known as Adolfo's corydoras. It has similar patterns to Brochis imitator but it has a shorter snout and red coloration in front of its dorsal fin.
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