Taxonomy & naming
Chaetostoma brevilabiatum was described by George Dahl in 1942 in the Förhandlingar of the Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet i Lund (volume 11, number 8, pp. 80, figs. 1–2), from specimens collected at Río Volcán near its junction with Río San Bartolomé, a tributary of the Río Magdalena in Antióquia Department, Colombia, at approximately 600 metres elevation. The Catalog of Fishes (Eschmeyer, CAS) and FishBase both list 1942 as the valid authority year. PlanetCatfish records 1941, reflecting the date of the society meeting at which the paper was presented; the printed volume year of 1942 is the standard bibliographic date used by CoF and is followed here.
The species was originally placed in the genus Chaetostomus, which is now treated as a synonym of Chaetostoma. The combination Chaetostomus brevilabiatus is therefore a synonym; the valid name is Chaetostoma brevilabiatum Dahl, 1942. FishBase assigns it identifier 50024.
Chaetostoma belongs to the tribe Ancistrini within subfamily Hypostominae. Genus-level characters include the presence of interopercular odontodes (cheek spines that are evertible in living fish), the absence of abdominal plates, and the absence of plate rows along the snout edge — a combination that separates Chaetostoma from the superficially similar Ancistrus, which bears fleshy rostral tentacles absent in Chaetostoma.
Morphology
Adults reach a maximum recorded standard length of 4.5 in (SL), making C. brevilabiatum one of the larger members of the genus. Like all Chaetostoma, the body is dorsoventrally flattened — strongly compressed top-to-bottom — and armoured with interlocking keeled scutes arranged in longitudinal rows. The head is broad and depressed, with the mouth positioned ventrally and fringed by short, fleshy papillae; the species epithet brevilabiatum (Latin: short-lipped) alludes to the abbreviated lip area or rostral margin compared to other congeners.
The pectoral fins are robust and angled downward, functioning as anchors against fast current rather than for propulsion. Pelvic fins are positioned far forward and, in breeding males, are disproportionately large — a feature shared across the genus and thought to play a role in shielding the adhesive egg clutch during spawning in turbulent water.
Sexual dimorphism follows the Chaetostoma pattern: breeding males develop a broader, more pronounced head and a slimmer ventral profile than females, and the pelvic fins are conspicuously larger in males. Interopercular odontodes are present in both sexes but are more developed in mature males.
Habitat
Chaetostoma brevilabiatum inhabits the Magdalena and Cimitarra river basins of northern Colombia, with the type locality at Río Volcán (a tributary of Río San Bartolomé, itself a Magdalena tributary) at roughly 1969 ft elevation in the Cordillera Central. Additional records from Río La Miel — a Magdalena tributary in the same general region — confirm the species occurs across the upper Caribbean-slope drainages of Antióquia Department.
The habitat is clear, fast-flowing mountain streams and small rivers over bedrock and boulder substrates — the classic Chaetostoma microhabitat. FishBase notes a high-altitude affinity and lists the species as a facultative air-breather, a capacity that assists survival in torrential or briefly hypoxic conditions. No published temperature, pH, or hardness data for field-collected individuals were found in the sources consulted; conditions can be inferred from the geography as cool to moderate (montane streams at 1969 ft in Colombia are typically 64–75 °F), with well-oxygenated, likely soft to moderately hard water in a circumneutral to slightly acidic range. No pH or hardness figures are stated here, as none appear in the primary sources.
Feeding
Chaetostoma brevilabiatum is an algal biofilm scraper — a rheophilic grazer adapted to cropping the thin layer of diatoms, cyanobacteria, and periphyton that coats exposed rock and bedrock in high-current environments. The genus name Chaetostoma (bristle-mouth) refers to the fine, bristle-like teeth that are efficient for scraping rather than biting: rows of small, bicuspid or tricuspid teeth rasp biofilm from hard surfaces without dislodging substrate.
In the aquarium, the diet should centre on algae: high-quality algae wafers, spirulina-based pellets, and grazing on naturally established biofilm on rocks and glass. Blanched vegetables — zucchini (courgette), cucumber, spinach, peas — are accepted as supplements. The fish does not require driftwood in the manner of xylophagous plecos. Heavy protein feeding is unnecessary and may be counterproductive.
Mating
Specific courtship observations for C. brevilabiatum are not documented in the sources consulted. The broader Chaetostoma mating pattern, inferred from closely related species and genus-level accounts on PlanetCatfish, involves males establishing territories over flat rock surfaces or cavities in fast-flowing water. Males in breeding condition develop more pronounced interopercular odontodes and display a broader, heavier head profile relative to females. The disproportionately large pelvic fins of breeding males are thought to shield sperm from being washed away by current during fertilisation, a functional trait consistent across rheophilic loricariids.
Breeding
No confirmed captive breeding records for C. brevilabiatum were found in the sources consulted. Based on the PlanetCatfish account and general Chaetostoma biology, the species is presumed to spawn in the manner typical of the genus: adhesive eggs are deposited on the underside of a flat submerged object — a broad stone, submerged wood plank, or aquarium slate — in shallow, fast-flowing water. The male broods inverted over the clutch, covering it with his body and ventilating it with his pelvic and caudal fins until hatching. Clutch size and incubation duration have not been published for this species specifically.
In the aquarium
Chaetostoma brevilabiatum is occasionally available to specialist hobbyists, with a small number of wild-caught specimens having reached the trade from Colombian river-collection expeditions. The species is not commonly bred in captivity, and captive-raised stock is not reliably available.
As a rheophilic mountain-stream species, C. brevilabiatum demands high dissolved oxygen and vigorous water movement. A canister filter or powerhead providing strong surface agitation and turnover, supplemented by an airstone if flow is insufficient, is essential. Stagnant or poorly oxygenated water is likely to cause stress or death. Water temperature should reflect the cooler conditions of Colombian montane streams — in the range of 64–75 °F is a reasonable approximation pending field data for this species specifically; avoid the warmer end of typical tropical tanks.
Aquascape with flat stones, slate, and smooth river boulders to replicate a rocky streambed, providing both grazing surfaces and resting positions in the current. A minimum tank length of 31.5–35.5 in is advisable for a single adult; a pair or small group requires greater horizontal space and multiple territories. The species is peaceful toward dissimilar species but may be intolerant of conspecifics in confined quarters.
PlanetCatfish lists three registered keepers and three wild spotters as of the cache date, suggesting that reliable care information from practised hobbyists is limited. Keepers should be cautious in extrapolating husbandry from warmer-water Chaetostoma relatives if those are adapted to lowland conditions.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed Chaetostoma brevilabiatum as Least Concern, with an assessment date of 8 October 2014. The assessment reflects the species' presence across multiple tributaries of the Magdalena drainage and the absence of evidence for major population declines at the time of evaluation.
The Magdalena basin is one of Colombia's most heavily altered river systems; agricultural runoff, sedimentation from deforestation, and gold-mining activity in Antióquia affect water quality and substrate stability in many tributaries. Mountain-stream specialists such as C. brevilabiatum, which depend on clear, clean, fast-flowing water over intact rocky substrate, may be locally sensitive to sedimentation events even if the species is not globally threatened. The 2014 assessment is now more than a decade old; an updated evaluation would better reflect current conditions in the Cordillera Central streams.