Botia

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Botia
Botia striata.jpg
Botia striata
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Botiidae
Genus: Botia
J. E. Gray, 1831
Type species
Botia almorhae
Gray 1831
Species

See text

Synonyms [1]

Botia (Indian loaches) is a genus of freshwater fish in the loach family (Botiidae). It was a large genus with about 20 species. In 2004 Maurice Kottelat proposed in his paper (along with the description of Botia kubotai, see References below) to divide the genus into four related genera based on fish appearance and locality:

Another genus, Parabotia , was considered a separate genus earlier. It has an elongated body quite similar to Syncrossus , but with its range mostly restricted to China. With all these as separate genera, Botia species are restricted to South Asia (including Burma).

The fish in these genera possess a pair of razor-sharp spines under their eye sockets. These spines normally lie flat, but may be extended when the loach feels threatened. This behavior is rarely observed when the fish is swimming, but care must be taken when catching botia in fishnets — the projecting spines may become entangled, causing injury to the fish and/or damage to the net. Care must also be taken when transporting the larger botia, as their subocular spines may puncture the enclosing polyethylene bags that are normally used for this purpose.

One special characteristic of this loach group is the ability to produce a loud "clicking" noise, which is commonly heard during feeding time. This noise stems from a special type of pharyngeal teeth that are used to extract snails from their shells. For aquarists, this gives the botia a practical application, as they can be used to fight a snail infestation.

Another peculiarity of botia is that they are often seen resting on their side or in other strange positions. While this can be normal, healthy behaviour for botia, it is rarely observed in other types of fish. The unusual habit often causes needless panic for the inexperienced aquarist, who mistakenly assumes their fish is ill.

Species

There are currently nine recognized species in this genus: [2]

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Botia lohachata.jpg Botia almorhae J. E. Gray, 1831Almorha loach, Yo-yo loach, Pakistani loachGanges basin in northern India and possibly Nepal
Botia birdi B. L. Chaudhuri, 1909Birdi loachIndia and Pakistan
Botia dario.jpg Botia dario (F. Hamilton, 1822)Bengal loach, Queen loachthe Brahmaputra and Ganges basins in Bangladesh, Bhutan and north India
Botia histrionica.jpg Botia histrionica Blyth, 1860Golden zebra loachIndia and Myanmar. Found in Salween basin
Botia kubotai3.jpg Botia kubotai Kottelat, 2004Burmese Border loachMyanmar
Botia lohachata B. L. Chaudhuri, 1912Reticulate loachPakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Botia rostrata Günther, 1868Gangetic loach, Sergeant major loachBangladesh and north India
Botia striata.jpg Botia striata Narayan Rao, 1920Zebra loachWestern Ghats of India
Botia sp Tenasserim.jpg Botia udomritthiruji H. H. Ng, 2007Emperor loachsouth Burma.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cypriniformes</span> Order of fishes

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 and are entirely absent from Australia and South America. At 112 years old, the longest-lived cypriniform fish documented is the bigmouth buffalo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cobitidae</span> Family of fishes

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.

<i>Pangio</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clown loach</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf loach</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burmese border loach</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zebra loach</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pond loach</span> Species of freshwater fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoyo loach</span> Species of fish

The yoyo loach, Almora loach or Pakistani loach is a freshwater fish belonging to the loach family Botiidae. It originates in the slow-running and still waters of the Ganges basin in northern India and possibly Nepal. Despite the alternative common name Pakistani loach, the true B. almorhae is not known from Pakistan.

<i>Yasuhikotakia</i> Genus of fishes

Yasuhikotakia is a genus of botiid loaches, many which are popular aquarium fish. It is named in honor of Japanese collector/researcher Dr. Yasuhiko Taki. This genus has been separated from the genus Botia in the paper by Maurice Kottelat in 2004.

<i>Yasuhikotakia modesta</i> Species of fish

Yasuhikotakia modesta is a tropical freshwater fish of the family Botiidae. It is native to large rivers in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The blue botia is a widely available fish in the aquarium trade and can be purchased globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botiidae</span> Family of fishes

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loach</span> Suborder of ray-finned fish

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.

Physoschistura is a genus of fish in the family Nemacheilidae found mostly in Southeast Asia.

<i>Botia udomritthiruji</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Parabotia</i> Genus of fishes

Parabotia is a genus of loaches. Most species in the genus are endemic to China, but P. curtis is from Japan, P. dubius is from Vietnam, and P. mantschuricus is from the Amur River basin.

<i>Syncrossus</i> Genus of fishes

Syncrossus is a genus of six loaches, many of which are popular in the aquarium fish trade. They are primarily found in Southeast Asia, but S. berdmorei also occurs marginally outside this region in far northeastern India. It is one of eight genera in its family.

<i>Botia rostrata</i> Species of fish

Botia rostrata, the Gangetic loach, ladder loach, or twin-banded loach, is a freshwater fish belonging to the loach family Botiidae. It originates in calmer water pool areas of highland streams in the lower Ganges and Brahmaputra basins in Bangladesh and north India. Records from elsewhere are believed to be misidentification of relatives.

<i>Vaillantella maassi</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Syncrossus beauforti</i> Species of fish

Synocrossus beauforti, the barred loach, chameleon loach or chameleon botia, is a species of freshwater fish from the loach family Botiidae which is found in mainland south-east Asia.

References

  1. Kottelat, M. (2012): Conspectus cobitidum: an inventory of the loaches of the world (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cobitoidei). Archived February 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Suppl. No. 26: 1-199.