Trichomycterinae

{{Short description|Subfamily of fishes}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Trichomycterus rivulatus.jpg

| image_caption = Trichomycterus rivulatus

| taxon = Trichomycterinae

| authority = Bleeker, 1858

| type_genus = Trichomycterus

| type_genus_authority = Valenciennes, 1832

| subdivision_ranks = Genera

| subdivision = Bullockia

Cambeva

Eremophilus

Hatcheria

Ituglanis

Rhizosomichthys

Scleronema

Silvinichthys

Trichomycterus

}}

The Trichomycterinae are a subfamily of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Trichomycteridae. It includes six genera, Bullockia, Hatcheria, Rhizosomichthys, and Eremophilus, all monotypic, Silvinichthys with seven species, and Trichomycterus, with over 170 species. The former five genera are diagnosed by putatively apomorphic characters, whereas Trichomycterus is defined by the lack of those specializations and is likely not monophyletic. This subfamily has historically served as much of a wastebasket for trichomycterids that lack the specializations of the other subfamilies.{{cite journal|last1=Fernández|first1=Luis|last2=de Pinna|first2=Mario C. C.|last3=Armbruster|first3=J. W.|title=Phreatic Catfish of the Genus Silvinichthys from Southern South America (Teleostei, Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae)|journal=Copeia|volume=2005|issue=1|year=2005|pages=100–108|issn=0045-8511|doi=10.1643/CI-03-158R2|s2cid=85875502 }}

Species of Trichomycterinae dwell in headwaters and small, cold clear water streams running over stony beds. Due to the patchy distribution of their habitats, trichomycterines generally have restricted geographic distributions, thus display a high level of endemism.{{cite journal|url=http://www.ufrgs.br/ni/vol2num2%5C061a074_bockmann&sazimaLR.pdf|title=Trichomycterus maracaya, a new catfish from the upper rio Paraná, southeastern Brazil (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae), with notes on the T. brasiliensis species-complex|first=Flávio A.|last=Bockmann|author2=Sazima, Ivan |journal=Neotropical Ichthyology|volume=2|issue=2|pages=61–74|year=2004|doi=10.1590/S1679-62252004000200003|doi-access=free}}