Genus · Plecos

Dekeyseria

Dekeyseria is a genus with 4 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Plecos section, recorded from Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. Adult sizes run from 5 in to 8.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
4
Adult sizes
5–8.5 in
IUCN assessed
4 of 4
Recorded from
3 countries

About the genus

Dekeyseria is a genus of armored suckermouth catfish (family Loricariidae) in the pleco subfamily Hypostominae, found in the Amazon and Orinoco river systems of Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. The atlas's 4 species run 5–8.5 in and share the loricariid body plan — bony armor plates, a ventral sucker mouth for gripping rock and wood in current, and a flattened profile suited to holding position against flowing water. The flat-head pleco (Dekeyseria scaphirhynchus) carries this adaptation furthest, with a notably depressed head shape typical of species that live in swift, rocky river stretches.

The Amazon butterfly pleco (D. amazonica) is the genus's best-known aquarium species, prized for a bold, mottled black-and-cream pattern that gives it its common name, and kept much like other mid-size hypostomine plecos: driftwood in the diet, current, and biofilm and algae to graze. D. picta circulates in the trade under its L-number, L052. All four atlas species have some conservation data on record — three Least Concern and one not yet formally assessed — suggesting the genus is not currently a major conservation concern, though as with many Amazonian loricariids, habitat pressure from damming and the aquarium collection trade bears watching.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 3 Not Evaluated · 1

The 4 species

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

Rapp Py-Daniel, 1985

Amazon Butterfly Pleco, Amazon Dekeyseria

7 in SL · LC

(La Monte, 1929)

5 in SL · NE

(Kner, 1854)

L052, L168, Butterfly Pleco

L052 · 5.5 in SL · LC

(Kner, 1854)

Flat-head Pleco, L151, L216

L151 · 8.5 in SL · LC

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Dekeyseria. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/dekeyseria/

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