Genus · Plecos

Curculionichthys

Curculionichthys is a genus with 13 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Plecos section, recorded from Brazil, French Guiana and Suriname. Adult sizes run from 1 in to 1 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
13
Adult sizes
1 in
IUCN assessed
13 of 13
Recorded from
3 countries

About the genus

Curculionichthys is a genus of very small armored catfish in the family Loricariidae, among the tiniest plecos in the atlas: the 13 species run from about 1 in, true miniatures compared to most of their suckermouth-catfish relatives. They are found in Brazil, French Guiana, and Suriname, inhabiting small streams within the wider range that the family Loricariidae occupies across northern and central South America. The genus name nods to the fish's stout, rounded, almost beetle-like body shape.

Curculionichthys was described relatively recently and remains a genus of mostly scientific interest; none of its 13 species have widely established common names, and detailed aquarium-care information is limited. Like other small loricariids, they are presumably algae and biofilm grazers suited to a well-established, current-fed tank, though specific husbandry reports for the genus are sparse. Conservation data is split about evenly between assessed and unassessed: seven species are Least Concern and six remain Not Evaluated, with no species in the atlas currently flagged as threatened.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 7 Not Evaluated · 6

The 13 species

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

Roxo, Silva, Ochoa & Oliveira, 2015

1 in SL · NE

(Britski & Garavello, 2003)

1 in SL · LC

Roxo, Dias, Silva & Oliveira, 2017

1 in SL · NE

Silva, Roxo, Melo & Oliveira, 2016

1 in SL · LC

(Britski & Garavello, 2007)

1 in SL · LC

Moraes, Gamarra & Reis, 2024

1 in SL · NE

(Roxo, Zawadzki & Troy, 2014)

1 in SL · LC

(Roxo, Zawadzki & Troy, 2014)

1 in SL · LC

(Martins & Langeani, 2012)

1 in SL · LC

Roxo, Silva, Ochoa & Oliveira, 2015

1 in SL · NE

Roxo, Silva, Ochoa & Oliveira, 2015

1 in SL · LC

Calegari, Gamarra & Reis, 2018

1 in SL · NE

Roxo, Dias, Silva & Oliveira, 2017

1 in SL · NE

Explore further

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Curculionichthys. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/curculionichthys/

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