Genus · Plecos

Acestridium

Acestridium is a genus with 7 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Plecos section, recorded from Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia. Adult sizes run from 2 in to 2.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
7
Adult sizes
2–2.5 in
IUCN assessed
7 of 7
Recorded from
3 countries

About the genus

Acestridium is a genus of small whiptail catfish in the pleco family, found in river systems of Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia. Its species carry the strongly compressed, angular body characteristic of "twig" or "whiptail" loricariids, a shape that lets them lie among submerged branches, leaf litter, and plant debris nearly invisible to predators. At 2–2.5 in, Acestridium ranks among the more diminutive whiptail genera in the atlas.

The genus rarely appears in the aquarium trade, and detailed husbandry information for most species is sparse, though the handful of common names attached here, green whiptail, lime whiptail, emerald whiptail catfish, hint at the subtle olive-to-emerald tones that help these fish disappear against submerged wood and plant matter. Where assessed, the genus leans Least Concern, with two of the atlas's seven species classified Data Deficient, again reflecting limited survey coverage of these small, camouflage-dependent stream fish more than any known threat.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 5 Data Deficient · 2

The 7 species

Every Acestridium recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources.

Retzer, 2005

2 in SL · LC

Retzer, Nico & Provenzano, 1999

Green Whiptail, Green Dwarf Farlowella

2.5 in SL · LC

Haseman, 1911

Lime Whiptail, Disc Twig Catfish

2.5 in SL · LC

Reis & Lehmann A., 2009

DD

Retzer, Nico & Provenzano, 1999

Martin's Twig Catfish, Martin's Whiptail Oto

2.5 in SL · LC

Reis & Lehmann A., 2009

DD

Rodríguez & Reis, 2007

Emerald Whiptail Catfish, Whiptail Catfish

2 in SL · LC

Explore further

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Acestridium. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/acestridium/

← All Plecos