Scleronema is a genus of pencil catfishes native to South America.

[1] Species of Scleronema are geographically distributed in the La Plata basin and Atlantic coastal drainages from Southern Brazil, Southern Paraguay, Northeastern Argentina and Uruguay.

They inhabit rivers or streams with sand or gravel-bottoms across the Pampa grasslands.

"[3] There are currently three recognized species in this genus:[4] S. minutum and S. operculatum both originate from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; S. minutum 4.0 cm (1.6 in) SL and S. operculatum 8.0 cm (3.1 in).

Like other species of Scleronema, S. angustirostre thrive in a freshwater environment and are benthopelagic, meaning that they either live at the surface or bottom of a body of water.