Loricariidae
family of fishes
Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish (order Siluriformes), with over 90 genera and just over 680 species. Loricariids originate from freshwater habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. These fish are noted for the bony plates covering their bodies and their suckermouths. Several genera are sold as "plecos", notably the suckermouth catfish, Hypostomus plecostomus, and are popular as aquarium fish.
Common names
Members of the family Loricariidae are commonly referred to as loricariids, suckermouth catfishes, armoured catfish, or suckermouth armoured catfish. The name "plecostomus", and its shortened forms "pleco" and "plec", are used for many Loricariidae, since Plecostomus plecostomus (now called Hypostomus plecostomus) was one of the first loricariid species imported for the fish-keeping hobby.
Some loricariids are not normally considered "plecostomus", such as Farlowella catfish.
In their native range, these fish are known as cascudos or acarís.
L-numbers
Some types of loricariids are often referred to by their 'L-number'; this has become common since imports of loricariid catfish from South America often included specimens that had not been taxonomically described. Currently, L-numbers are used not only by fish-keeping enthusiasts, but also by biologists, since they represent a useful stopgap until a new species of fish is given a full taxonomic name.
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