CreatureData

Radiated Ptero

Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus (Hancock, 1828)

Status not recordedbony fish

The radiated ptero (Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus) is a species in the family Loricariidae, order Siluriformes.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the radiated ptero

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the radiated ptero live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the radiated ptero as introduced in 9 countries, and flagged as invasive in 3 of them.

  1. Indiainvasive
  2. Indonesiainvasive
  3. Mexicoinvasive
  4. Bangladesh
  5. Malaysia
  6. Sri Lanka
  7. United States
  8. Venezuela
  9. Vietnam

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the radiated ptero endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the radiated ptero classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderSiluriformes
  5. familyLoricariidae
  6. genusPterygoplichthys
  7. SpeciesPterygoplichthys multiradiatus (Hancock, 1828)

Synonyms Ancistrus multiradiatus, Hypostomus multiradiatus, Liposarcus multiradiatus

Other names and names in other languages (11)
  • Butterfly plecoEnglish
  • Long-fin armored catfishEnglish
  • Orinoco sailfin catfishEnglish
  • Sailfin catfishEnglish
  • glyptoper mnohopaprsčitýCzech
  • CarachamaSpanish
  • ヒポプレコJapanese
  • 오리노코플래코Korean
  • Pleco del OrinocoSpanish
  • plecóstoma del OrinocoSpanish
  • オリノコセイルフィンキャットフィッシュJapanese

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the radiated ptero

Other species in the same genus Pterygoplichthys.

Common pleco

Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps

LoricariidaeNo free photo yet

Gold spot pleco

Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus

LoricariidaeNo free photo yet

CompareRadiated Ptero vs Common plecoRadiated Ptero vs Gold spot plecoRadiated Ptero vs Amazon sailfin catfishRadiated Ptero vs Vermiculated sailfin catfish

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

Is the radiated ptero an invasive species?

In some places. The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species flags the radiated ptero as invasive in 3 countries: India, Indonesia and Mexico. It lists it as introduced in 9 in all.

What kind of animal is the radiated ptero?

The radiated ptero (Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus) belongs to the family Loricariidae in the order Siluriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Radiated Ptero (Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/radiated-ptero

MLA

“Radiated Ptero (Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/radiated-ptero.

BibTeX
@misc{radiated_ptero_2026,
  title = {Radiated Ptero (Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/radiated-ptero},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}