Alcalde

The armored catfish <em>Spatuloricaria gymnogaster</em> belongs to the family Loricariidae, the suckermouth catfishes of South America. Published records attribute this species a maximum length of up to 370 cm, a figure that appears inconsistent with its recorded maximum weight of approximately 0.24 kg and warrants cautious interpretation; the true adult size may be considerably smaller and the figure may reflect a data entry discrepancy in the source literature. Like all loricariids, <em>S. gymnogaster</em> is a freshwater species adapted to riverine environments, using its ventral sucker mouth to rasp algae and organic material from hard substrates. The family is renowned for the armor of bony scutes covering the body, offering protection against predators in fast-moving rivers. Details of habitat and range for this species remain limited in the ichthyological literature. Its conservation status has not been formally assessed. Further taxonomic and ecological study of this species would help clarify both its size range and its distribution across South American drainages.