The differences in pelvic-fin structure and gill openings led Roberts to redefine the genus when describing H. eubranchus, whereas Tan (2006) expressed doubts that the two are even congeneric but was unable to reach a definitive conclusion in the absence of fresh material.

At any rate both species can be easily differentiated from Gastromyzon and Neogastromyzon spp. by observing the mo…

This species is available sporadically and makes an excellent choice for those new to keeping loaches. It’s distinguishable from congeners by a combination of characters including: truncate/rounded caudal-fin; no scales on top of head; dark, squarish spots o…

The distribution records for this species are somewhat confusing. It was described from the confluence of the Lamatang and Enim rivers, Palambang Province, Sumatra and has since been recorded from Thailand (Chao Phraya River), Peninsular Malaysia (Pahang River) plus the islands of Java (Solo River) and Borneo (Kapuas and Barito rivers).

This species differs from congeners in the presence of papillae covering the mouthparts (lips, barbels, and lobes) which are absent in other species. It’s also the largest species in the genus and the serrae on the second pectoral fin rays in males form a broa…

The genus Kottelatlimia was erected by Nalbant (1994) to accommodate K. katik which had previously been assigned to Lepidocephalichthys but differs in various aspects noted earlier by Kottelat and Lim (1992) including: relatively small adult size; scaleless…

We’re unaware of this species having yet appeared in the aquarium trade although a few private collectors have experience with it. Among congeners it uniquely possesses a simple suborbital spine and further differs from K. pristes by: smaller adult size (13.5 mm SL vs. 40); presence of a long nasal barbel (vs. absence); anatomy of the modified second pectoral ray in males (6-7 fine, narrow serrae vs. 8-11 pointed, anteriorly-orientated serrae). In K. hipporhynchos the serrae on the second pectoral ray in males form a broad, contiguous blade-like structure but other differences are the same as for K. pristes.

The family Cobitidae, often referred to as ‘true’ loaches, is widely-distributed across most of Eurasia with the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China representing particular centres of species diversity.

Phylogenetic analyses by Tang et al. (2006), Šlechtová et al. (2007) and Šlechtová et a…

Type locality is given as ‘Kuala Tahan, Pahang (King George V National Park)’ which corresponds to the village of Kuala Tahan in Pahang state, central Peninsular Malaysia.

The settlement is located at the confluence of the Tahan and Tembiling Rivers which form part of the Pahang river basin, while the national park was re…

This fish may only have been exported for aquaria on a single occasion to date. It exhibits characters reminiscent of both L. alkaia and L. guntea, and has been referred to as L. cf. guntea) but is most likely an undescribed species (Havird, pers. comm.).

At time of writing there exist 18 recognised members of the genus though only B. kweichowensis is well-known in the trade with B. szechuanensis unlikely to have been exported. According to Chen, Huang and Yang (2009) it can be distinguished from similar congeners by the following suite of characters: 1 branched and 17-20 simple pectoral-fin rays…