Genus · Plecos

Rhadinoloricaria

Rhadinoloricaria is a genus with 11 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Plecos section, recorded from Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and 3 more countries. Adult sizes run from 3 in to 6.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
11
Adult sizes
3–6.5 in
IUCN assessed
11 of 11
Recorded from
6 countries

About the genus

Rhadinoloricaria is a genus of whiptail catfish in the pleco family Loricariidae, placed in the slender-bodied subfamily Loricariinae alongside other whiptail plecos. Species occur across the western Amazon and Orinoco basins, with the atlas recording them from Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, and Bolivia. True to the whiptail build, the body is greatly elongated and tapers to a slim tail, with a flattened underside suited to resting motionless on sand or leaf litter in slower, softer-substrate stretches of river rather than the fast rocky current favoured by many other loricariids.

The genus draws limited aquarium attention next to more familiar whiptails like Rineloricaria or Sturisoma; species such as Rhadinoloricaria macromystax do occasionally reach the trade simply labelled a whiptail catfish, valued for peaceful, algae- and detritus-grazing habits that suit a calm community tank. Most of the eleven species the atlas tracks, however, are known mainly from scientific collections rather than the hobby. Conservation data remain limited across the genus — several species are not evaluated or data deficient — consistent with a group of slender, camouflaged bottom-dwellers that are easy to overlook in survey work even where they are not especially rare.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 5 Data Deficient · 2 Not Evaluated · 4

The 11 species

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

(Chang & Castro, 1999)

6.5 in SL · LC

(Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1986)

Conde's Whiptail, Shitari

5.5 in SL · LC

(Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1988)

5 in SL · LC

(Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1988)

5.5 in SL · DD

(Günther, 1869)

Whiptail Catfish

5.5 in SL · DD

(Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1988)

5.5 in SL · LC

Crispim-Rodrigues, Bernt, Waltz, Silva, Benine, Oliveira, Covain & Roxo, 2023

3 in SL · NE

(Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1983)

5 in SL · LC

Provenzano & Barriga Salazar, 2020

5 in SL · NE

Provenzano, 2026

NE

Provenzano, 2026

NE

Explore further

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Rhadinoloricaria. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/rhadinoloricaria/

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