Edit Jinshaia sinensis

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Name

Scientific name

Jinshaia sinensis

Described by

Authority Sauvage & Dabry de Thiersant, Year 1874, Bracketed

Family

Balitoridae

Common names

Not recorded

Photograph credits

All 3 credited

Summary

Jinshaia sinensis is a balitorid loach known only from the Jinsha river basin, the westernmost headwater tributary of the Yangtze in China.…

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

75mm, standard length

Aquarium size

Minimum length 90 cm, Minimum depth 30 cm, Water movement High: fast-flowing river or riffle

Water

Water conditions

Temperature 20–24°C, pH 6–7.5

Hardness

1–10dGH

Conductivity

Not recorded

Behaviour

Temperament

Not recorded

Community suitability

Not for a community

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

China, Jinsha, Yangtze

Writing

Etymology

Jinshaia: Derived from Jinsha-jiang (or Yangtze-kiang in earlier transcriptions), the longest river in China and the only known distribution of this genus. sin…

Distribution

Known only from the Yangtze (also known as Chang Jiang) river system in China, specifically the Jinsha river basin, its westernmost headwater tributary. Type l…

Habitat

An obligate dweller of swiftly-flowing streams and headwaters containing clear, oxygen-saturated water. It often inhabits riffles, runs and cascades and is lik…

Aquarium size

An aquarium with base dimensions of 90 ∗ 30 cm should be the smallest considered

Maintenance

Since this species is an exclusive resident of riffles and rapids in nature it's essential to keep it in a tank set up to resemble such a habitat. Use a substr…

Water conditions

Not written yet

Diet

Much of the natural diet is likely to be composed of benthic algae plus associated micro-organisms which are rasped from solid surfaces. In captivity it will a…

Behaviour and compatibility

Likely to be peaceful although its environmental requirements limit the choice of suitable tankmates somewhat. Species inhabiting similar natural waters includ…

Sexual dimorphism

Sexually mature females are likely to be a little larger and fuller-bodied than males.

Reproduction

Presumably a seasonal spawner in nature but nothing has been recorded in aquaria as far as we know.

Notes

This species may not yet have been seen in the aquarium trade outside its native country but has been maintained by a few private collectors. There are current…

This species may not yet have been seen in the aquarium trade outside its native country but has been maintained by a few private collectors.

There are currently three species recognised in the genus, all endemic to the Yangtze river drainage, and they're separated from other balitorids by a combination of characters including: relatively long, deeply-forked caudal-fin; rounded or squared caudal peduncle section; body flattened and widened posterior to dorsal-fin; 11-14 simple and 12-15 branched pectoral-fin rays; 3-5 simple and 10-15 branched pelvic-fin rays.

Like all balitorids it has morphology specialised for life in fast-flowing water, i.e., the paired fins are orientated and extended horizontally, head and body flattened, belly depressed. These features form a powerful sucking cup which allows the fish to cling tightly to solid surfaces. The ability to swim in open water is greatly reduced and they instead appear to crawl and hop their way over rocks and other surfaces.

This species was initially described in the genus Psilorhynchus and subsequently placed in Hemimyzon until Kottelat and Chu (1988)[1] erected the present genus for this species and J. abbreviata. The third species, J. niulanjiangensis, was described by Mao & Lu in 1998.

The family Balitoridae as recognised by Kottelat (2012) is widely-distributed across much of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China.

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References

4 on this profile

Name

Scientific name

Described by

Family

Common names

Photograph credits

Summary

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

Aquarium size

Water

Water conditions

Hardness

Conductivity

Behaviour

Temperament

Social needs

Community suitability

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Writing

Etymology

Distribution

Habitat

Aquarium size

Maintenance

Water conditions

Diet

Behaviour and compatibility

Sexual dimorphism

Reproduction

Notes

References

References