Agamyxis is a genus of thorny catfish in family Doradidae, the armored, spiny-finned catfish that give the wider group its 'talking catfish' nickname for the clicking and croaking sounds many species make when lifted from the water. The atlas covers 2 species, both around 6 in as adults, native to the Amazon and Orinoco drainages across Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. Both carry rows of bony plates and hooked spines along the flanks, a slow-moving, heavily armored build suited to picking through leaf litter and sediment on the riverbed rather than open-water swimming.
Agamyxis pectinifrons, the spotted raphael catfish, is one of the most familiar doradids in the hobby - a hardy, nocturnal scavenger long sold under the 'raphael catfish' name, valued for bold black-and-white spotting, peaceful community manners, and a willingness to eat leftover food others miss. Agamyxis albomaculatus, the thorny catfish, shares the same body plan and is likewise an easy, undemanding fish once established. Both species are assessed as Least Concern, without the conservation pressure documented in some of the family's larger doradids.