This is the ubiquitous ‘bristlenose’ catfish in the aquarium hobby and is bred commerically on a large scale although it’s precise origin is unknown with some of the opinion that it may be a hybrid.

Several line-bred ornamental varieties exist, including piebald, albino and long-finned forms of both the standard and albino fish, of which long-finned fish are sometimes sold as ‘butterfly’ or ‘veiltail’ catfish.

Often confused with the common bristlenose, Ancistrus sp. (3) and some other members of the genus. This species is imported quite often, but unlike sp. (3) is almost always wild caught. So similar are some of these species that a definite id is sometimes impossible without knowing the collection locality of the fish.

When buying Loricariids always check that the fish has a rounded belly and that its eyes aren't sunken, as these are classic signs of emaciation in newly imported specimens…

This species is not always identified correctly with its name used for the unidentified common bristlenose and other similar species, while the fish itself has been referred to as A. hoplogenys and assigned the L-number L183.

Images and information describing it it in much of the available literature confirm this confusion.

A somehwhat odd-looking species with a distinctive wide head and overall flattened profile. Unfortunately this fish is not the easiest fish to keep alive in the aquarium since it requires rather specialised conditions and is often in poor condition post-import.

As a juvenile, it often sports a pattern of light spots on the body, leading to confusion with the similarly shaped L255 species.In A. ranunculus, these spots fade as the fish mature,…

This species is sometimes confused with unidentified fishes such as A. sp. ‘L352’.

It can be told apart from closely-related congeners by possession of relatively long maxillary barbels which are free from the lower lip, and a colour pattern consisting of small spots on the head and vermiform lines on the body in males, and small spots all over the head and body in females.

Despite its patent unsuitability as an aquarium subject attractively-coloured juvenile specimens of this species are traded in quite large numbers, although the scarcity of privately-maintained adults would suggest that most fail to reach their potential. The striking, spotted patterning also disappears as this species matures, and since it also becomes increasingly bellligerent with age it can only be recommended to owners of the largest private aquaria or tropical ponds. There exists an albino…

Several Brachyrhamdia species have developed colour patterns that mimic syntopically-occurring Corydoras spp. throughout the life-cycle, and the remainder may mimic Otocinclus or smaller Corydoras spp. when juvenile.

Among other catfishes they’re closely-related to members of the genus Pimelodella, but differ in…

This species is sometime referred to as ‘Virginia’s catfish’, Corydoras sp. ‘Sangama’ or ‘Zangama’, and prior to description was misidentified as both Corydoras bicolor and C. delphax.

Unfortunately additional diagnostic characters cannot be provided since we’ve been unable to obtain the type description, and little has been written about this species since it was published.

This species can be identified from similar-looking congeners by possession of a pair of small rictal barbels.

Its colour pattern can vary considerably depending on collection locality, with some forms having been misidentified as other species in the past. Those possessing a dark marking on the sides of the body are sometimes referred to as Corydoras sp. ‘olga’.

The form from the Río Tigre, previously referred to as the subspecies C. p. orcesi (Weitzman & Nijssen, 1970) was raised to full species status as C. orcesi by Isbrücker (2001), but this decision does not appear to have been followed by all authorities some of which consider C. p. orcesi a synonym of C. pastazensis.

The two species are relatively easy to tell apart by colour pattern; in C. pastazensis the dark vertical…