Schistura is a genus of fish in the stone loach family Nemacheilidae native to the streams and rivers of the southern and eastern Asia. Some of these species are troglobitic.
Schistura amplizona is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura. It been recorded from only two river basins, the Nam Tha and Nam Youan, in northern Laos, of these the Nam Youam flows to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, China and specimens of this species have been collected very close to the border so this species may occur in Yunnan. Its preferred habitat appears to be streams with a moderate flow and a bed of rock or pebbles. This species is harvested by local subsistence fisheries but the main potential threats are alteration of natural water courses through deforestation and agriculture.
Schistura aramis is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura from the Nam Nua catchment, a tributary of the Nam Ou in Laos, it may also possibly occur in Vietnam. The specific name comes from one of Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers, Aramis as do that of two other Schistura species endemic to the Nam Ou basin, S. athos and S.porthos.
Schistura athos is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura, its specific name athos is from, Athos, one of the Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, as do that of two other Schistura species endemic to the Nam Ou basin, S. aramis and S.porthos. It has only been recorded from the Nam Ou basin in Laos, as well as from a stretch of the Nam Noua, a tributary of the Nam Ou, in Vietnam. S. athos has been collected from rapids and stretches of the main river with stone substrates.
Schistura atra is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura. This species has only been recorded from the drainage systems of the Nam Theun and Nam Gnouang, tributaries of the Mekong, in Laos. It can be found in the parts of streams with deep water and fast currents where it lives among the rocks. The lower parts of the basins it occurs in have been impacted by damming and this species has probably been extirpated from these area but it continues to survive upstream of the reservoirs. The habitat of this fish is affected by deforestation, agriculture and gold mining as well as the dams.
Schistura bolavenensis is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone leach genus Schistura. It is found in the Bolaven Plateau in Laos where it occurs in clear rocky streams at altitudes of 800–1,200 m which form tributaries of the Xe Kong and Xe Don rivers were it feeds on insects. It is threatened by proposals to construct dams and from the mining of bauxite on the Bolovan Plateau.
Schistura bucculenta is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura. It has been recorded from the Mekong basin in Laos and Thailand, records elsewhere being due to misidentification. It has been recorded in streams and forest creeks which have a moderate to fast current running over a gravel to stone substrate. It is threatened by deforestation and agriculture.
Schistura carbonaria is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura. It is found in central Vietnam in some coastal drainage systems, from the Ve River to the Qang Tri River, and the River Xe Kong, in the Xe Kong its range may extend into Laos. It can be found in medium-sized rivers and streams which have a strong current over a substrate of rocks and gravel.
Schistura caudofurca is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura. It occurs in the Red River system of southern China and northern Viet Nam, and also the Nam Mat, Nam Xam and Nam Ma river systems in Laos. It prefers streams with a moderate to fast flow and gravel or rock substrates.
Schistura cincticauda is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura. It has been recorded from a tributary of the Salween River in Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
Schistura coruscans is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura from the Nam San drainage, a tributary of the Nam Ngum in Laos.
Schistura crabro is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura from Laos.
Schistura daubentoni is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura. Iyt is found in the middle Mekong drainage in central Laos and northern Cambodia, including the Tonlé San and lower Kong River and it is considered that it is probably found in the reaches of the Mekong between these areas and in eastern Thailand. The specific name honours François d’Aubenton a zoologist at the Muséum National d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, who collected type specimen in 1964.
Schistura defectiva is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura from Laos.
Schistura implicata is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura. It occurs in streams with gravel or stony beds and a moderate to fast current in north eastern Laos and probably also in central Vietnam.
Schistura irregularis is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura, it is found in Laos.
Schistura isostigma is a species of ray-finned fish in the stone loach genus Schistura. It occurs in streams with in moderate to fast currents, with sand and gravel beds in the Mekong basin in Laos, it should also occur in Cambodia and Thailand.
Schistura kaysonei, the Laotian cave loach, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Schistura. It is endemic to Laos where only found in streams in caves. Like other cave-adapted fish, it is blind and has little pigmentation. This troglobitic species has been recorded from only a single cave in a karst landscape in Khammouane Province in Laos. Here it can be found around 100m from the cave entrance and its diet is thought to be organic detritus, such as bat guano, and micro-organisms. It is threatened by a decline in the quality and quantity of the water flowing through the case, caused by deforestation and increased agriculture, as well as potential overfishing for the aquarium trade. The specific name honours Kaysone Phomvihane (1920-1992), who was president of Laos.
Schistura leukensis is a species of ray-finned fish, a stone loach in the genus Schistura. It has only been recorded from a single river, a tributary of the Mekong in Laos. This river has been affected by damming upstream of this species' main habitat and it is unknown how this has impacted the population. Other human activities such as deforestation, agriculture, siltation and pollution may have also had effects on this species.
Schistura quasimodo is a species of stone loach in the genus Schistura. It is known from a single stream from the Nam Ngum drainage in Laos, a tributary of the Mekong. It has a cylindrical body, sometimes with a conspicuous hump. The known material suggests a maximum standard length of about 48 mm (1.9 in).
Cyprinidae, Balitoridae, Bagridae, Syngnathidae, Chaudhuriidae and Tetraodontidae). Journal of South Asian Natural History, 5 (1): 37-82.
