Aphanotorulus ammophilus Armbruster & Page, 1996
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
Aphanotorulus ammophilus, also known as the black spotted pleco, is a species of benthopelagic tropical freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Loricariidae, the suckermouth armored catfishes, and the subfamily Hypostominae, the suckermouth catfishes. This catfish is found in Venezuela and Colombia, specifically the Río Orinoco drainage.> Due to an initial erroneous publication, A. ammophilus was initially placed into Hypostomus instead of Aphanotorulus. However, because this species shows sexual dimorphism, has a relatively flatter shape, and has a jagged posterior edge of its oral disc, it was placed in the genus Aphanotorulus. It sometimes appears in the aquarium trade, where it is known as the cute pleco, although it may be referred to by its L-numbers, L094 or L123. A. ammophilus reaches a standard length of 16.1 cm (6.3 in).
Wikipedia contributors, Aphanotorulus ammophilus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:01:53.937900+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Aphanotorulus ammophilus Armbruster & Page, 1996
- Name authority
- Armbruster & Page, 1996
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Loricariidae
- Genus
- Aphanotorulus
- 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
- tribePeckoltini Armbruster & Lujan, 2025
- genusAphanotorulus Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1983
- speciesAphanotorulus ammophilus Armbruster & Page, 1996
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Aphanotorulus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Aphanotorulus horridus (Kner, 1854) | 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.
- Armbruster, J. W., & Page, L. M. (1996). Redescription of Aphanotorulus (Teleostei: Loricariidae) with description of one new species, A. ammophilus, from the Río Orinoco Basin. Copeia, 1996 (2): 379–389. https://doi.org/10.2307/1446854 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:FBNH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.