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This species is traded under several names including 'royal danio', 'blue-spotted hill trout', and 'blue-dotted mirror fish'. It can be distinguished from congeners by possessing a single row of bluish-green spots along the length of the body, white margins on the dorsal and anal fins, 37-38+1 lateral line scales, and fleshy rudi...

Type locality is given as 'Cedawáti [Vedawati] stream, headwaters of Krishna River near Heriuru, Mysore, India', with the species currently considered to occur throughout India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and probably Bhutan. It's also been recorded in Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka although some or all of these reports may refer to other species.

Type locality is 'Canara, southern India', which corresponds to a coastal region of approximately 300 km in length covering several districts of Karnataka and Kerala states, southwestern India. Rivers in this area drain the Western Gha...

This species is traded very occasionally, sometimes under the alternative vernacular names of 'river baril, 'river carp-baril', or 'striated hill trout'. It can be told apart from congeners by the following combination of characters: 1 pair of minute rostra...

Probably restricted to southern parts of Karnataka state and northern Kerala state in southwestern India. Following its revalidation in 2015 (see 'Notes') it is known with certainty only from the Payaswini and Vallapattanam river systems in Kerala although it is thought to occur elsewhere.

Like many fishes that naturally inhabit running waters it's intolerant to the accumulation of organic wastes and requires spotless water at all times in order to thrive. It also does best if there is a high proportion of dissolved oxygen and moderate degree of water movement so external filters, powerheads, airstones, etc., should be employed as necessary.

Barilius spp. are near-exclusive surface-feeders preying mostly on flying insects in nature with some small fishes and benthic invertebrates probably taken as well but in the aquarium they're largely unfussy and will accept most foods.

Prior to description this species was traded under the DATZ code L239. It can be distinguished from other species in the genus and other hypostomines (see below for definition of this grouping) by its uniformly black to brownish body and fin colouration with a turquoise to bluish sheen, and the acutely bent shape of midventral body plates 3-5 which form a distinctive keel running along the body, above the pectoral fins...

Prior to description this species was traded under the DATZ code L047 or the alternative vernacular name 'magnum pleco'. It can be distinguished from congeners by a combination of the following characters: presence of a broad, light-coloured (usually yellowish) distal band on the dorsal and caudal fins throughout life, slightly reduced in adults. The only other member of the genus to possess such bands is B. xanthellus but in that species they are reduced to small markings at the fin tips in adults, and the body is covered in pale, normally yellowish, spots.

This species is very similar to Hemiancistrus subviridis in appearance and the two occur sympatrically in nature, although B. demantoides is less common in the aquarium trade. Both have been marketed under the DATZ code L200 with B. demantoides sometimes referred to as 'L200 high-fin' or 'L200a', the former name in reference to its comparatively long dorsal-fin spine (average length in the type series 42.1 mm vs. 34.3 mm in H. subviridis).

It remains unconfirmed as to whether this fish represents a colour form of B. xanthellus or not since its DATZ code number of L081 is not referred to in the description paper whereas all other codes for 'gold nugget' plecos, i.e., L018, L085, L177 plus the 'Das Aquarium' code LDA060 are mentioned. In addition, one of the specimens in our images was apparently collected at São Félix do Xingu which is significantl...

The genus Baryancistrus can be distinguished from all other loricariids by possession of an enlarged membrane located posteriorly to the last branched dorsal-fin ray. This membrane may or may not reach the supporting structure of the adipose fin and in this way members can be told apart from the genera Oligancistrus, Parancistrus, and Spectracanthicus, in which the dorsal and adipose fins are completely connected, and Hemiancistrus...

Prior to description in 2011 this species was traded under the DATZ code numbers L018, L085, L077 and 'Das Aquarium' code LDA060, while a very similar-looking fish from the lower rio Xingu which has been assigned the code L081 may also represent a form of B. xanthellus but is not mentioned in the description paper. B. xanthellus can be distinguished from congeners by a combination of the following...

Batasio spp. are obligate inhabitants of headwater streams and the upper reaches of smaller rivers characterised by shallow, fast-flowing, highly-oxygenated stretches of riffles and runs broken up by pools or cascades in some cases. Images of the Ataran correspondingly depict flowing sections of forest-shaded, seemingly well-oxygenated headwaters containing clear water, a mixed sand/rock substrate and lots of submerged driftwood/leaf litter.

Batasio havmolleri (Smith, 1931) is currently considered a junior synonym of B. fluviatilis. Members of the genus Batasio are characterised by the following combination of characters; laterally-compressed body shape; presence of large sensory pores on the head; a narrow mental region; a pair of prominent posterior proces...

Members of the genus Batasio are characterised by the following combination of characters; laterally-compressed body shape; presence of large sensory pores on the head; a narrow mental region; a pair of prominent posterior processes on the anterior portion of the vomer; a transversely elongated, bar-like entopterygoid; close contact between the metapterygoid and quadrate.

The only other described member of the genus native to southwestern India is B. sharavtiensis which occurs a little further north than B. travancoria in Karanataka state. The two are easily distinguished by colour pattern in that B. travancoria possesses a darkish midlateral stripe and a poorly-defined, but normally visible, post-opercular spot, whereas B. sharavtiensis has no such mark...

Known only from a handful of localities within the Xi River (Xi Jiang) drainage in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China plus the Tuoniang river system in Funing County, southeastern Yunnan province. Type locality is 'West River, Longzhow Xian, Guangxi Province, China'.

This species is one of several traded variously as 'butterfly loach', 'butterfly plec', 'Hong Kong plec(o)', 'Chinese hillstream loach' or simply 'hill stream loach'. In many countries it's the most common balitorid in the shops but is also often found in mixed shipments containing members of other genera. Like all balitorids it's an obligate bottom-dweller with specialised morphology adapted to life in fast-flowing water. The paire...

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...