Cypriniformes is an order of ray-finned fish, including the carps, minnows, loaches, and relatives. This order contains 11-12 families, although some authorities have designated as many as 23, over 400 genera, and more than 4,250 species, with new species being described every few months or so, and new genera being recognized frequently. They are most diverse in southeastern Asia, and are entirely absent from Australia and South America. At 112 years old, the longest-lived cypriniform fish documented is the bigmouth buffalo.
Cobitidae, also known as the True loaches, is a family of Old World freshwater fish. They occur throughout Eurasia and in Morocco, and inhabit riverine ecosystems. Today, most "loaches" are placed in other families. The family includes about 260 described species. New species are being described regularly.
The clown loach, or tiger botia, is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the botiid loach family. It is the sole member of the genus Chromobotia. It originates in inland waters in Indonesia on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. In Sentarum, West Borneo that fish named: ulanguli. It is a popular fish in the freshwater aquarium trade and is sold worldwide.
The dwarf loach, ladderback loach, pygmy loach, chain loach or chain botia, is a freshwater fish belonging to the family Botiidae. Formerly included in the genus Yasuhikotakia, it is frequently seen in the aquarium trade, the product of captive breeding.
The Burmese Border loach, angelicus loach or polka dot loach, Botia kubotai, is a recently described species that has quickly become a popular tropical fish for freshwater aquariums. In 2002, fish collectors working in western Thailand began to expand their search into Myanmar (Burma) area from the Three Pagodas Pass Thai-Myanmar border to look for new fish for the aquarium trade. This is one of several species discovered and explains the origin of the fish's common name: Burmese Border Loach. Its specific epithet honors Katsuma Kubota of an aquarium export company in Thailand who first purchased the catch and sent them out for identification.
The zebra loach is a freshwater loach native to rivers and streams in the Western Ghats of India. The maximum size is about 9 cm (3.5 in). It lives in tropical climate with temperature range of 21–26 °C (70–79 °F), and prefers water with 6.0 to 7.5 pH.
The spined loach is a common freshwater fish in Europe. It is sometimes known as spotted weather loach, not to be confused with the "typical" weather loaches of the genus Misgurnus. This is the type species of the spiny loach genus (Cobitis) and the true loach family (Cobitidae).
The pond loach,, is a freshwater fish in the loach family Cobitidae. They are native to East Asia but are also popular as an aquarium fish and introduced elsewhere in Asia and to Europe, America and Australia. The alternate name weather loach is shared with several other Cobitidae, including the other members of the genus Misgurnus and the spotted weather loach. This term comes from their ability to detect changes in barometric pressure and react with frantic swimming or standing on end. This is because before a storm the barometric pressure changes, and this is known to make these fish more active. The pond loach also comes in a variety of colors, such as pink, orange, albino and gray.
Beaufortia kweichowensis is a species of gastromyzontid loach native to rivers in China. The common names for this popular aquarium species are Chinese hillstream loach, Hong Kong pleco, butterfly hillstream loach, and Chinese sucker fish.
The stone loach is a European species of fresh water ray-finned fish in the family Nemacheilidae. It is one of nineteen species in the genus Barbatula. Stone loaches live amongst the gravel and stones of fast flowing water where they can search for food. The most distinctive feature of this small fish is the presence of barbels around the bottom jaw, which they use to detect their invertebrate prey. The body is a mixture of brown, green and yellow.
Botiidae is a family of cypriniform ray-finned fishes from South, Southeast, and East Asia. Until recently they were placed in the true loach family Cobitidae, until Maurice Kottelat revised the loaches and re-elevated this taxon to family rank in 2012. The family includes about 56 species.
The Java loach is a species of tropical freshwater fish, an unbanded kuhli loach, native to the sandy streams of Southeast Asia. Its alternative common names include the black kuhli (loach), chocolate kuhli and cinnamon loach. It is common in the aquarium trade.
Acantopsis dialuzona is a loach native to the swift, clear streams and rivers of mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia through the Chao Phraya and Mekong river basins. It can also be found in flooded fields.
Pangio semicincta is a species of cobitid loach in the genus Pangio found in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and Sumatra. It is a very popular fish in the aquarium trade, however it is often confused for and mislabeled as Pangio kuhlii, which is rarely if ever found in the aquarium trade due to it being endemic to the island of Java, where collection for the fish trade is rare.
The kuhli loach is a small eel-like freshwater fish belonging to the loach family (Cobitidae). They originate from Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula. This snake-like creature is very slender and nocturnal. In an aquarium, the kuhli loach can be very reclusive and, when startled, will dart underneath tank ornaments or bury itself, if a fine gravel or sandy substrate is present.
Loaches are fish of the superfamily Cobitoidea. They are freshwater, benthic (bottom-dwelling) fish found in rivers and creeks throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Loaches are among the most diverse groups of fish; the 1249 known species of Cobitoidea comprise about 107 genera divided among 9 families.
Botia udomritthiruji is a small freshwater fish in the loach family Botiidae native to the Great Tenasserim (Tanintharyi) River Basin in south Burma. It reaches 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in) in length, and the female's abdomen plumper than the abdomen of the male.
Sewellia is a genus of fish in the family Balitoridae found in Laos and Vietnam. According to Roberts (1998) a possible defining characteristic of the genus Sewellia is their posterior pelvic valve is highly complex and different from other rheophilic loaches, their posterior pelvic valve involves the overlapping of the second to last ventrally exposed rays. Adapted to high velocity streams Sewellia have depressed body shapes that are laterally expanded thus increasing their hydrodynamical properties and allowing them to better stay attached to rocks in swift current. Sewellia also have paired fins with a single simple ray and numerous branched rays allowing them to grip rocks in swift current.
Syncrossus helodes, commonly known as banded loach, tiger botia or lesser katy loach, is a freshwater fish in the loach family Botiidae. It is native to rivers in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. S. helodes resembles S. hymenophysa from Borneo, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, and the two have frequently been confused. It differs from the latter species by the absence of a dark spot on the dorsal fin, 10–12 bars on body without blue borders and the presence of irregular dark markings on the lower body.
Leptobotia elongata, the imperial flower loach, elongate loach or royal clown loach, is a species of botiid fish found in flowing water in the upper and middle Yangtze basin in China. It is the largest species in the family, reaching up to 50 cm (1.6 ft) in length and 3 kg (6.6 lb) in weight. Formerly common, the numbers of this vulnerable species have declined because of overfishing, dams, habitat loss and pollution. The species is bred in captivity and a stocking project has been in place since 2010. It is sometimes kept in aquariums, but require a very large tank.
