(Amphiliidae) Astroblepidae Callichthyidae Loricariidae Nematogenyiidae Scoloplacidae Trichomycteridae Loricarioidea is a superfamily of catfishes (order Siluriformes).

[5] The putative Cenomanian member Afrocascudo, discovered from the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous in North Africa (Kem Kem Group), was initially described as the earliest loricariid catfish in 2024, which may extend the fossil record of Loricariidae (and Siluriformes as a whole).

[2] However, this taxon might represent a juvenile obaichthyid lepisosteiform, possibly a junior synonym of Obaichthys,[6] though this has been disputed based on the complete ossification of the bones indicating full maturity and the absence of important holostean characters.

[7] Loricarioidea is currently diagnosed by the derived presence of a reduced gas bladder, encapsulated in expansions of the parapophysis of the first vertebrae, and of odontodes, small dermal denticles.

[9] These fish are found in freshwater habitats in the Neotropics, inhabiting South America, Panama, and Costa Rica.

Fish in this group can be naked or, in the case of Callichthyids, Scoloplacids, and Loricariids, armored with bony plates.

[3] Most loricarioid species are depressed (flattened) in body shape, though Callichthyids tend to be more compressed (thin).