Hemipsilichthys is a genus of small to medium armored suckermouth catfish in family Loricariidae, endemic to fast-flowing streams of Brazil. The atlas covers 3 species — gobio, nimius, and papillatus — ranging from about 3.5–6 in, sharing the loricariid body plan of bony armor plates and a ventral sucker mouth adapted for gripping rock and wood in swift current.
The Goby Pleco, Hemipsilichthys gobio, is the species with the most name recognition among specialist pleco keepers, though it remains a niche import rather than a mainstream aquarium fish; the other two species have little to no documented hobby presence. What stands out about this genus is its conservation picture — all 3 species in the atlas are rated Near Threatened, a rare case of an entire small genus sitting uniformly in a threatened category, consistent with the kind of narrow-range, fast-water Brazilian habitat that is easily disrupted by damming, deforestation, and stream degradation.