| Yoyo loach | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Typical aquarium specimen labelled as Botia almorhae, but these are likely a related species (see text). [1] [2] | |
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Botiidae |
| Genus: | Botia |
| Species: | B. almorhae |
| Binomial name | |
| Botia almorhae J. E. Gray, 1831 | |
| Synonyms | |
Botia grandiGray, 1832 [4] | |
The yoyo loach, Almora loach or Pakistani loach (Botia almorhae) 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. [1] [2] Despite the alternative common name Pakistani loach, the true B. almorhae is not known from Pakistan (the species in this country is B. birdi ). [1] [2]
It may attain a length of 14–16 cm (5.5–6.3 in), and is named for its dark and pale patterns, which often can be seen to spell "yoyo" (especially in smaller/younger specimens), hence the common name yoyo loach. [1] The final common name, Almora loach, refers to Almora in Uttarakhand, India. [4] Specimens labelled as B. almorhae are commonly found in the aquarium trade, but most (if not all) of these appear to be the closely related B. lohachata , two possibly undescribed species popularly referred to as B. sp. "Kosi" and B. sp. "Teesta", or hybrids. [1] [2]
