Genus · Catfish

Trachelyichthys

Trachelyichthys is a genus with 5 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Catfish section, recorded from Brazil and Peru. Adult sizes run from 1.5 in to 3 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
5
Adult sizes
1.5–3 in
IUCN assessed
5 of 5
Recorded from
2 countries

About the genus

Trachelyichthys is a genus of small driftwood (wood) catfishes in family Auchenipteridae, native to the Amazon basin in Brazil and Peru. Like other auchenipterids, they are soft-bodied, largely nocturnal catfish typically found sheltering among submerged wood and leaf litter in slow to moderate current, emerging to forage after dark.

These are diminutive fish, with atlas species reaching only about 1.5–3 in, and the pygmy driftwood catfish (Trachelyichthys exilis) is the species most likely to turn up in specialist catfish keeping, valued for its small size and secretive habits. The rest of the genus - T. displicatus, T. epachrus, T. gaiophanes, and T. varii - is little known outside ichthyological literature, and four of the five atlas species are Not Evaluated by the IUCN, reflecting how sparsely this group of small Amazonian catfishes has been surveyed.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 1 Not Evaluated · 4

The 5 species

Every Trachelyichthys recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources. 1 has hobbyist breeding reports (◉).

Calegari, Akama, Ferraris Jr. & Reis, 2026

3 in SL · NE

Calegari, Akama, Ferraris Jr. & Reis, 2026

1.5 in SL · NE

Greenfield & Glodek, 1977

Pygmy driftwood catfish

3 in SL · LC

Calegari, Akama, Ferraris Jr. & Reis, 2026

2.5 in SL · NE

Calegari, Akama, Ferraris Jr. & Reis, 2026

1.5 in SL · NE

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Trachelyichthys. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/trachelyichthys/

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