Chaetostoma formosae Ballen, 2011
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Chaetostoma formosae is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Loricariidae, the suckermouth armoured catfishes, and the subfamily Hypostominae, the suckermouth catfishes. This catfish is endemic to Colombia where it is only found in piedmont and mountain rivers and the Meta and Guaviare drainages. It prefers clear, well oxygentated streams with a fast current and a rocky streambed with scattered boulders and pebbles. This species reaches a standard length of 9.7 cm (3.8 in). C. formosae is sometimes seen in the aquarium trade, where it is known as the rubberlip pleco or referred to by its L-number, L-444. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classify this catfish as Vulnerable despite it still being relatively common because in some drainages where it is found the habitat is threatened by deforestation, land-use change, pollution and siltation.
Wikipedia contributors, Chaetostoma formosae; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:16:44.633089+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chaetostoma formosae Ballen, 2011
- Name authority
- Ballen, 2011
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Loricariidae
- Genus
- Chaetostoma
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderSiluriformes
- familyLoricariidae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyHypostominae Kner, 1853
- tribeChaetostomatini Fowler, 1958
- genusChaetostoma Tschudi, 1846
- speciesChaetostoma formosae Ballen, 2011
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chaetostoma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Chaetostoma anale (Fowler, 1943) | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetostoma guairense Steindachner, 1881 | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetostoma jegui Rapp Py-Daniel, 1991 | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetostoma leucomelas Eigenmann, 1918 | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetostoma branickii Steindachner, 1881 | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetostoma palmeri Regan, 1912 | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetostoma stroumpoulos Salcedo, 2006 | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetostoma lineopunctatum Eigenmann & Allen, 1942 | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetostoma breve Regan, 1904 | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetostoma daidalmatos Salcedo, 2006 | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetostoma dorsale Eigenmann, 1922 | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chaetostoma nudirostre Lütken, 1874 | LoricariidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Ballen, G. A. (2011). A new species of Chaetostoma Tschudi (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from Colombia with a definition of the C. anale species group. Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, 51. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0031-10492011002600001 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5Y2F3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.