Burmese border loach | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cypriniformes |
Family: | Botiidae |
Genus: | Botia |
Species: | B. kubotai |
Binomial name | |
Botia kubotai Kottelat, 2004 | |
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. [2] 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 fish, a bottom feeder, is found in the Salween River system which is mostly in Myanmar. It was first discovered in Ataran River [3] (known in Thailand as Kasat River), a tributary of Salween River. A population in Thailand was discovered in early 2006 in another tributary of Salween River, Suriya River in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary. [4] It grows as large as 15 cm in length, but most tend to be smaller at around 10 cm. It has gold, black, and grey colors arranged in a pattern that varies greatly depending on the age of the fish. Juvenile fish at about 2.5 cm are very similar to Botia histrionica . It has yellow body with only black vertical bands. Typically around this size grey dots on the black bands together with a middle horizontal bar joining the bands begin to appear. At about 5 cm, the top and bottom part of the vertical bands start to merge, producing a pattern of big yellow ovals along the body. More grey dots continue to appear as fish grows.
This fish, like most other loach species, should be kept in groups when placed in an aquarium. Suitable water parameters are 25 - 30 °C, pH 6.5 to 6.9, dGH 0 to 8.0. Many hiding places should also be provided. Newly purchased, it is a good idea to treat them for internal parasites, a very common problem for wild-caught bottom feeder fishes.
Botia kubotai is omnivorous and will accept most food types offered to freshwater fish including snails, small shrimp, sinking pellets, blood worms, and black worms.
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Botia 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 to divide the genus into four related genera based on fish appearance and locality:
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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.
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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.
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Ataran River is a river of Burma and Thailand. In Thailand, it is usually known as the Kasat River. It merges into the larger Gyaing River and Salween River near the city of Mawlamyine. A main tributary of the Ataran River is the Zami River. The Ataran and its tributaries begin near the Thai-Burmese border and flow in a general north-north-west direction.
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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.
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