Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 30, 2026

Aphanotorulus

Aphanotorulus is a genus of armored catfishes native to the Amazon, Orinoco, Essequibo and Jaguaribe basins in South America. They typically occur on a sand or gravel bottom in slow to moderately flowing rivers and streams, but some species occur in areas with fast current. The largest species in the genus reaches up to 51 cm (20 in) in standard length.

Last revised
Jun 30, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
290 w
Citations
10
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Aphanotorulus
Aphanotorulus sp.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Loricariidae
Tribe: Hypostomini
Genus: Aphanotorulus
Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1983
Synonyms

Squaliforma Isbrücker & Michels, 20011

Aphanotorulus is a genus of armored catfishes native to the Amazon, Orinoco, Essequibo and Jaguaribe basins in South America.21 They typically occur on a sand or gravel bottom in slow to moderately flowing rivers and streams,3 but some species occur in areas with fast current.4 The largest species in the genus reaches up to 51 cm (20 in) in standard length.3

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of this genus has been a matter of dispute, all having been placed in Hypostomus in the past, and some occasionally placed in Squaliforma. Squaliforma is now regarded as a synonym of Aphanotorulus, but species west of the Andes have been moved to Isorineloricaria.1

There are currently 7 recognized species of Aphanotorulus:14

Of these species, the validity of A. phrixosoma is questionable, as the only known specimen likely is a hybrid between A. horridus and A. unicolor.1

References

References

  1. Ray, C.K. & Armbruster, J.W. (2016): The genera Isorineloricaria and Aphanotorulus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) with description of a new species. Zootaxa, 4072 (5): 501–539.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Aphanotorulus". FishBase. May 2017 version.
  3. van der Sleen, P.; J.S. Albert, eds. (2017). Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas. Princeton University Press. p. 267. ISBN 978-0691170749.
  4. Oliveira, A.S.; L.R. Py-Daniel; C.H. Zawadzki (2017). "A new species of Aphanotorulus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the rio Aripuanã basin, Brazil". Neotrop. Ichthyol. 15 (1). doi:10.1590/1982-0224-20160034.