Diplomystidae
| Diplomystidae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Diplomystes nahuelbutaensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Suborder: | Diplomystoidei Grande, 1987 |
| Family: | Diplomystidae C. H. Eigenmann, 1890 |
| Genera | |
Diplomystidae, the velvet catfishes, are a family of primitive catfishes endemic to freshwater habitats in Argentina and Chile in southern South America. It currently contains six species in two genera.
The earliest known fossils of diplomystids are indeterminate pectoral spines from the Campanian and Maastrichtian of Argentina and Bolivia.