Fish sold under the name S. zonata are sporadically available in the aquarium trade but the majority appear to be the congener S. octozona.

The genus currently contains just three members all of which are known only from the Mekong basin. S. octozona is the type species and separ…

It’s been suggested that these two may represent the same species but this appears not to be the case. When describing S. albisuera Freyhof (2003) used a series of specimens collected in 2000 plus some larger, spotted fish which had been collected in 1999 and preserved in New York. Although he noticed differences in dorsal patterning between the two series these weren’t considered sufficient to s…

This species exhibits some interesting behaviour including a degree of social interaction plus the ability to cling to vertical or overhanging surfaces. It’s sometimes sold under the name ‘serpent loach’.

The genus currently contains just three members all of which are known only from the Mekong basin. S. octozona is the type species and separated from the others mainly by body patterning which consists of 7-8 dark bars on each flank, these extending the full depth of the body and much wider than the pale interspaces between.

We’re unsure if this species has ever been traded on a commercial basis though we know of several private collectors who’ve maintained it. It’s difficult to confuse with any other balitorid due to the small adult size and distinctive orange to reddish-brown body colouration, and was originally described as a subgenus by Herre (1944) before Silas (1953) raised it to full genus status. It was later syonymised with Homaloptera by Alfred (1969) but has been generally accepted as a distinct, valid genus since Roberts (1989).

This unidentified species has been traded since the mid-00s and appears to be a member of the P. khulii–oblonga species group as per Bohlen et al. (2011).

There are two similar-looking forms; one has a darker body, dark pigmentation in the pectoral fins and barbels and a blue sheen on the head, while the…

Pangio species are often generically referred to as ‘kuhli’ or ‘coolie’ loaches in the aquarium hobby, the latter a variation of the former which was itself derived from the surname of German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl (1797-1821). Ichthyo…

The fish in our images don’t correspond to any of the described members of the genus but can be assigned to the P. oblonga species group with a degree of certainty. It’s apparently exported as a contaminant among shipments of a uniformly brown-coloured fish with unpublished genetic analyses suggesting the two might be variants of the same species (J. Bohlen, pers. comm.).

Among congeners it may be related to P. alcoides Kottela…

Unclear but usually imported for the aquarium trade alongside P. anguillaris which according to current knowledge has an irregular distribution including Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, and the Greater Sunda Islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

This species is among the most frequently-misidentified in the hobby, almost always being traded as P. kuhlii. However the latter is currently considered endemic to Java, from where commercial collections are almost unheard of, and has possibly never been seen in aquaria.

Described from close to the city of Bogor, Jawa Barat (West Java) province on the island of Java, Indonesia, but currently considered widespread with recorded occurrences on Java, Sumatra, Borneo and mainland Peninsular Malaysia. Some populations exhibit lighter…