Pterygoplichthys, sometimes collectively known as janitor fish, is a genus of South American armored catfishes.

The stomach of Pterygoplichthys is greatly expanded with the posterior portion forming a long, thin sac that is highly vascularized.

They are known from the Orinoco, Amazon, Magdalena, Maracaibo, Paraná, Parnaíba and São Francisco systems.

Several species of Pterygoplichthys have been established in the United States in Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, and Texas.

Moreover, none of the 30 professional water managers, engineers, lake management, and shoreline stabilization company owners contacted in 2004 by a particular study considered erosion caused by the burrowing activity of loricariid catfishes a major problem, except in some man-made lakes in the southeastern part of the state.

[5] P. gibbiceps has been bred commercially in fish farms in Florida and Malaysia for the aquarium trade.

In fact, in the wild, the Common Pleco can well exceed 2 feet in length, and, as well as growing large, they also produce a lot of waste that can pollute the water.