Order Siluriformes
Family Loricariidae
Subfamily Ancistrinae
Genus Cordylancistrus
— Cordylancistrus torbesensis [Schultz 1944]. Synonym: Pseudancistrus torbesensis. Venezuela. 7-10 cm. It has a very wide head, bristles on the head completely covering the snout. The upper half is grey and the lower half is paler, with a blackish irregular group of spots along the middle of the sides. Usually three bands of dark spots on the pectoral fins, caudal fin with 4-5 dark bands of spots. Preys on fish fry. Prefer cool water with high oxygen content. pH 6.6-7.4; T 18-24°C.
Genus Dekeyseria
— Dekeyseria brachyura [Kner, 1854]. Synonym: Peckoltia brachyura. (Eng. Butterfly Pleco, Flounder Pleco). (L 168). Colombia, Brazil, Rio Negro River. 12-16 cm. Brown-grey, sometimes with a greenish or bluish tint and 7-8 wide cream or yellowish curved stripes across the body extending onto the fins. The first stripe on the head is U-shaped.
In males, the odontodes on the first ray of the pectoral fins are longer than in females. The pleco can change color depending on the color of the substrate and other surfaces, similar to a chameleon, a fact that characterizes this species. It can turn pale if it receives too much light or the background is very light. Conversely, it can become almost black if the background is dark and there is little light (e.g. at night).
Peaceful, suitable for a community aquarium, compatible with any non-aggressive inhabitants of tropical waters. Driftwood, boulders forming shelters for fish, plants. With a dark substrate, they are more brightly colored. Nocturnal fish, they lie in shelters all day long and behave very cautiously when they briefly leave them to feed. Many caves and shelters are required.
These are vegetarian fish, thus most of their diet should be of plant origin. They clean the aquarium of algae. In case of a lack of plant food, they can damage soft plants. Water needs to be soft and acidic. Constant aeration and filtration, water changes. They spawn in caves or depressions. Males care for the eggs. pH 5.5-7.2; dH 2-12°; T 24-28°C.
— Dekeyseria pulchra [Steindachner, 1915]. Synonym: Peckoltia pulcher. Northern South America, Brazil. Basin of the Casiquiare, Rio Negro, and Orinoco rivers. 10 cm, in the aquarium up to 7 cm. The coloration is striped with alternating stripes of black and yellowish-brown. The belly is slightly lighter. Females are fuller than males. In addition, males have a wider head and dense bristles. Whether the fish like their maintenance conditions or not can be judged by their coloration. With proper care, the coloration of the fish is contrasty, with clear boundaries. With improper care, the coloration of the fish becomes faded.
For keeping fish, it is advisable to have an aquarium with a large number of shelters in the form of driftwood, stones, and grottoes, densely planted with various vegetation. One should avoid a dark substrate under which it camouflages itself against a dark background and becomes invisible. Fish often conflict with individuals of their own species when there is not enough free territory or a sufficient number of shelters. Compatible with any other non-aggressive inhabitants of tropical waters. In search of food, they can swim and move absolutely throughout the entire aquarium.
Fish lead a twilight lifestyle – during the day they hide among plants and stones, and with the onset of darkness show their greatest activity. Good filtration and aeration of the water are necessary, as well as its weekly change. Their main food is algae and in case of their insufficient quantity, the fish are able to cause harm to plants by nibbling their young shoots. Fish need to be fed with lettuce leaves, frozen peas, zucchini, potatoes, as well as food in the form of tablets and flakes. Reaches sexual maturity at 10-12 months. They live up to 7 years. pH 6.0-7.5; 5-18°dH; T 24-28°C.
— Dekeyseria scaphirhyncha [Kner, 1854]. Synonym: Ancistrus, Peckoltia scaphirhynchus. (Eng. Flat Head Pleco). (L 151, L 216). Brazil, Venezuela. In the aquarium up to 18 cm. In males, the head is wide and rounded, they are thinner, and the pelvic fins are longer than in females. White spots are scattered on the dark background of the body, which become smaller with age. The fins are beige with 4-5 longitudinal dark lines. They also change color depending on the color of the substrate and other surfaces.
Adult males have very long bristles on the pectoral fins and short ones on the snout, the hard rays of the pectoral fins are thickened. Peaceful and calm fish provided there is sufficient free space. Intraspecific aggression is low to moderate. Gravel should be of a dark tone. Omnivorous. The diet should be as varied as possible, but they eat any aquarium food. pH 6.5-7.5; T 24-26°C.
Genus Megalancistrus
— Megalancistrus parananus [Peters 1881]. Synonyms: Chaetostomus, Megalancistrus aculeatus, Chaetostomus, Megalancistrus gigas, Pterygoplichthys parananus. (L 113, L 234). South America, Xingu River basin in Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. 50 cm. The mouth is large and toothed. Juveniles are light brown-grey with round dark spots. Adults have darker shades of grey to black. The belly is paler than the sides. There are no visible differences between the sexes.
Peaceful towards fish of the upper and middle water layers. In the aquarium, it swims in the lower water layers. A large aquarium with firmly installed decorations is required. Adults are very territorial, two males can kill each other, so only one specimen should be kept. Plants will be uprooted. They should be fed with plant and animal food. They live over 20 years. T 20-25°C, pH 6.5-7.0, dH 5-15°.
Genus Lasiancistrus, Genus Parancistrus, Genus Pseudolithoxus.
Care and Maintenance of Loricariid Catfish. 
