Cypriniformes is an order of ray-finned fish, which includes many families and genera of cyprinid fish, such as barbs, gobies, loaches, botias, and minnows. Cypriniformes is an "order-within-an-order", placed under the superorder Ostariophysi—which is also made up of cyprinid, ostariophysin fishes. The order contains 11–12 families, over 400 genera, and more than 4,250 named species; new species are regularly described, and new genera are recognized frequently. Cyprinids are most diverse in South and Southeast Asia, but 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.
Pangio is a genus of small Asian freshwater fish in the true loach family Cobitidae. In earlier taxonomic schemes it was known as Acanthophthalmus. The "kuhli loach" is well-known in the aquarium trade and commonly identified as P. kuhlii, but most individuals actually appear to be P. semicincta.
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.
Acantopsis is a genus of freshwater fishes, commonly known as horseface loaches or banana-root fishes, in the family Cobitidae. Fishes of the genus Acantopsis inhabit sandy riverbeds throughout Southeast Asia and are most diverse in the Mekong River in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia wherein five species are known to occur. The common horseface loach, A. rungthipae, is popular in the aquarium trade.
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, also known as the Dojo loach, oriental weatherloach or oriental weatherfish, 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 before a storm and react with frantic swimming or standing on end.
Cobitis is a genus of small freshwater fish in the family Cobitidae from temperate and subtropical Eurasia. It contains the "typical spiny loaches", including the well-known spined loach of Europe. Similar spiny loaches, occurring generally south of the range of Cobitis, are nowadays separated in Sabanejewia.
Cobitis dalmatina is a species of ray-finned fish in the true loach family (Cobitidae). It is endemic to Croatia. This fish was long believed to be part of the widespread spined loach.
Cobitis narentana is a species of ray-finned fish in the true loach family (Cobitidae). It is found in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. This fish was long believed to be part of the widespread spined loach.
Cobitis ohridana is a species of ray-finned fish in the true loach family (Cobitidae). It is only found in Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Greece. This fish was long believed to be part of the widespread spined loach.
Cobitis vardarensis, the Vardar spined loach, is a species of ray-finned fish in the true loach family Cobitidae.
The ayumodoki or kissing loach is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Botiidae. It is found in lakes and streams on Honshu, the largest island in Japan. Spawning grounds for kissing loach are ditches and small reservoirs for rice cultivation of a river system located in Japan. The kissing loach migrates to flooded areas, including paddy field areas, for spawning in early summer and the spawning of this species is limited after the formation of flooded areas over terrestrial vegetation. These flooded areas are the result of water from mountain streams and irrigation ponds flooding once dry land which create creating man-made wetlands. As, adults, Parabotia curtus migrate from these flooded paddy fields to fast moving, muddy streams and rivers like the Yodo River.
Botiidae, the pointface loaches, 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 true Kuhli loach, which can be used synonymously with "coolie" loach, occasionally referred to as eel loach, is a small eel-like freshwater fish belonging to the loach family (Cobitidae). They originate from the island of Java in Indonesia. This serpentine, worm-shaped creature is very slender and nocturnal. Its distinctive orange-pink coloration with triangular black stripes and long lifespan makes it a popular aquarium species.
Loaches are ray-finned fish of the suborder Cobitoidei. 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 Cobitoidei comprise about 107 genera divided among 9 families.
Bibarba is a genus of loach that is found in the Chengjiang River and Hongshuihe River in China.
Misgurnus dabryanus, the large-scale loach is a species of true loach that is native to Mainland China, Hainan, Taiwan, Korea, and the Russian Far East. It can be found in water bodies such as the Yangtze Basin, Pearl River, Amur River, and various other drainages. There are several known invasive populations in places such as Barcelona, the San Joaquin River in California, and the majority of Japan. The large-scale loach is typically brown, grey, or golden in color with mottled or speckled black dots, which leads to it sometimes called a "peppered loach" when sold at pet stores. It is a small loach, growing between 7.3 to 15.4 cm TL.
Vaillantella maassi, the forktail loach, is a species of loach in the family Vaillantellidae, a monogeneric family with two other species, Vaillantella cinnamomea and Vaillantella euepiptera. They are from Southeast Asia.
Bibarba parvoculus is a cave-dwelling species of loach endemic to a karst cave in Guangxi in southern China. Its only known congener is the surface-dwelling Bibarba bibarba, from which it is believed to have evolutionarily split in the Early Miocene.
