Currently known only from the rios Curuá Una and Uruará in Pará state, Brazil.

The Curuá Una is a tributary flowing into the main lower Amazon channel downstream of Santarém and there is a large hydroelectric power plant constructed on it which supplies power to the city.

The Uruará joins the Curuá Una around 30 km upstream of its mouth and confluence with the Amazon.

Known only from parts of the Río Orinoco drainage in Amazonas state, southern Venezuela.

Sometimes confused with Peckoltia lineola (Armbruster, 2008) alongside which it’s often exported for the aquarium trade.

Known with certainty from tributaries of the middle Río Orinoco between the city of Puerto Ayacucho, Amazonas state, Venezuela and the lower Río Meta, Colombia.

It may have a wider distribution within the Meta system since some reports suggest it to occur around Villavicencia, Colombia, some 600 km upriver.

This species is very similar to Hemiancistrus subviridis in appearance and the two occur sympatrically in nature, although B. demantoides is less common in the aquarium trade. Both have been marketed under the DATZ code L200 with B. demantoides sometimes referred to as ‘L200 high-fin’ or ‘L200a’, the former name in reference to its comparatively long dorsal-fin spine (average length in the type series 42.1 mm vs. 34.3 mm in H. subviridis).

Prior to description this species was traded under the DATZ code L239. It can be distinguished from other species in the genus and other hypostomines (see below for definition of this grouping) by its uniformly black to brownish body and fin colouration with a turquoise to bluish sheen, and the acutely bent shape of midventral body plates 3-5 which form a distinctive keel running along the body, above the pectoral fins…

This stunning miniature Loricariid has only been available in the hobby since 2001, and was described to science in 2004. As with other otos, it can be a little delicate when first imported and should be quarantined carefully until it's settled.

This is one of the commoner "otos" seen in the hobby, and is an ideal species for the planted aquarium. Unfortunately it can be quite delicate when first imported, and losses are not uncommon. This is usually down to lack of food, as it's a small fish and needs to feed almost constantly, so it's easily starved during transportation. As almost all otos are wild caught, they can be quite sensitive to water quality, too. Many hobbyists report fewer problems if the fish are added…

This species was formerly considered to be represented by the L-numbers L113 and L234 but it appears that only the former is native to the Paraná, Paraguay and Uruguay drainages, whereas L234 is collected in the rio São Francisco in eastern Brazil.

M. barrae and M. sp. ‘LDA097’ are also exported from the São Francisco system.

One of the most enigmatic species in the hobby, this incredible little catfish must rank amongst the most stunning freshwater species known. In the late 1990s and the early part of this century you could buy one of these for as little as twenty pounds. However in 2004, the Brazilian government banned the exportation of the species amid apparent concerns over the exploitation of wild stocks. As yet, the conservation status of the fish has not been confirmed by any scientific proof with the only e…