{{Short description|Genus of fishes}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Farlowella arcus 3.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption = ''Farlowella acus'' | taxon = Farlowella | authority = C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1889<ref name = "Cof family"/> | type_species = ''Acestra acus'' | type_species_authority = Kner, 1853<ref name = "Cof family"/> | synonyms = {{genus list |Acestra |Kner, 1853 |Aposturisoma |Isbrücker, Britski, Nijssen & Ortega, 1983}} | synonyms_ref = <ref name = "Cof family">{{Cof family|family=Loricariinae|type=genera|access-date=15 September 2025}}</ref> }}
'''''Farlowella''''' is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Loricariidae, the suckermouth armored catfishes, and the subfamily Loricariinae, the mailed catfishes. The catfishes in this genus are found in South America. It is broadly distributed in the Amazon, Orinoco and Paraná rivers as well as coastal rivers of the Guyana Shield, but absent from the Pacific slope of the Andes and from the coastal rivers of the Brazilian Shield.<ref name=Covain2007>{{cite journal|author=Covain, R. |author2= Fisch-Muller, S. |year=2007|url=http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2007f/zt01462p040.pdf |title=The genera of the Neotropical armored catfish subfamily Loricariinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae): a practical key and synopsis |journal=Zootaxa|volume= 1462|pages= 1–40 |doi= 10.11646/zootaxa.1462.1.1 }}</ref> Species of this genus have an extremely slender and elongated body resembling a thin stick of wood. There is a pronounced rostrum and the body is brownish with two dark stripes beginning at the tip of the rostrum, passing over the eyes and ending at the caudal fin, which are periodically interrupted on the caudal peduncle.<ref name=Covain2007/> Many species are kept in aquariums.
==Taxonomy== The genus has been placed within the tribe Harttiini of the subfamily Loricariinae by some authorities. Morphological, molecular and phylogenetic studies have recovered ''Farlowella'' as sister to ''Sturisoma''.<ref name=Covain2007/> The genus is named in honor of William Gilson Farlow, a famous American botanist of Harvard University whose main work concerned algae, the favorite food of species in the genus.<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web |url=https://etyfish.org/loricariinae/ |title=Family LORICARIIDAE: Subfamily LORICARIINAE Rafinesque 1815 (Suckermouth Armored Catfishes) |date=1 January 2026 |author=Christopher Scarpf |access-date=30 December 2025 |work=The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database |publisher=Christopher Scharpf}}</ref>
==Species== Farlowella contains the following valid species:<ref name = "Cof genus">{{Cof genus|genus=Farlowella|access-date=1 January 2026}}</ref> {{Linked species list | Farlowella acus | (Kner, 1853) | Farlowella altocorpus | Retzer, 2006 | Farlowella amazonum | (Günther 1864) | Farlowella azpelicuetae | Terán, Ballen, Alonso, Aguilera & Mirande, 2019 | Farlowella curtirostra | Myers, 1942 | Farlowella gianetii | Ballen, Pastana & Peixoto, 2016 | Farlowella gladiolus | (Günther, 1864) | Farlowella gracilis | Regan, 1904 | Farlowella hahni | Meinken, 1937 | Farlowella hasemani | C. H. Eigenmann & Vance, 1917 | Farlowella henriquei | A. Miranda Ribeiro, 1918 | Farlowella isbruckeri | Retzer & Page, 1997 | Farlowella jauruensis | C. H. Eigenmann & Vance, 1917 | Farlowella kirane | Dopazo, Deprá, Zawadzki & Britto, 2025 | Farlowella knerii | (Steindachner, 1882) | Farlowella mariaelenae | Martín Salazar, 1964 | Farlowella martini | Fernández-Yépez, 1972 | Farlowella mitoupibo | Ballen, Urbano-Bonilla & Zamudio, 2016 | Farlowella myriodon | (Isbrücker, Britski, Nijssen & Ortega, 1983) | Farlowella nattereri | Steindachner, 1910 | Farlowella odontotumulus | Retzer & Page, 1997 | Farlowella oxyrryncha | (Kner, 1853) | Farlowella paraguayensis | Retzer & Page, 1997 | Farlowella reticulata | Boeseman, 1971 | Farlowella rugosa | Boeseman, 1971 | Farlowella schreitmuelleri | Arnold, 1936 | Farlowella smithi | Fowler, 1913 | Farlowella taphorni | Retzer & Page, 1997 | Farlowella venezuelensis | Martín Salazar, 1964 | Farlowella vittata | Myers, 1942 | Farlowella wuyjugu | Dopazo, Wosiacki & Britto, 2023 | Farlowella yarigui | Ballen & Mojica, 2014 }}
==References== {{Reflist}}
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Category:Farlowella Category:Loricariinae Category:Freshwater fish genera Category:Taxa named by Carl H. Eigenmann Category:Taxa named by Rosa Smith Eigenmann Category:Catfish genera