Ariocarpus bravoanus is a species of cactus which is endemic to San Luis Potosí in Mexico.

[1] Ariocarpus bravoanus is a fleshy plant grows geophytically with gray-green bodies that are 3 to 9 cm (1.2 to 3.5 in) in diameter and that barely protrude from the soil surface.

[3] As of 2023[update], Plants of the World Online accepted two varieties:[4] Ariocarpus bravoanus is found growing on xerophytic shrubland on limestone gravel plains in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí at elevations between 1500 and 2000 meters and is only known from a few localities.

[5] The first description was made in 1992 by Héctor Manuel Hernández and Edward Frederick Anderson.The plant was discovered while removing soil for the collection of another herbarium specimen.

[5] The specific epithet "bravoanus" honors the Mexican botanist and cactus collector Helia Bravo Hollis.