Pogonopoma is a genus of armoured suckermouth catfish in the family Loricariidae, endemic to the coastal river drainages of Brazil. The atlas covers 3 species, growing to a respectable 9–10.5 in, with the flattened, bony-plated body and ventral sucker mouth shared by all plecos, adapted for gripping rock and wood in flowing water while rasping algae and biofilm from surfaces. The genus name nods to a beard-like fringe of soft tissue around the mouth seen in some of its species, a feature shared with several other bristle-mouthed loricariids.
Because Pogonopoma species are restricted to a handful of coastal Atlantic Forest river systems in southeastern Brazil, rather than the vast Amazon or Orinoco basins many plecos call home, their ranges are comparatively small and vulnerable to damming, pollution and habitat disturbance. That pressure shows clearly in the IUCN tally for the genus: two of the three species, Pogonopoma obscurum and Pogonopoma parahybae, are assessed as Vulnerable, with only Pogonopoma wertheimeri rated Least Concern. None currently carry a CARES designation. The genus sees little presence in the aquarium trade compared to more familiar plecos, and is really a fish for specialists interested in Brazilian coastal-drainage loricariids rather than a general community tank.