China

Native to continental China, the Korean peninsula, and southern Japan. Type locality is given only as 'Lakes and rivers, northern China', with the type series possibly originating from the Pai-ho River near Beijing. It has been widely introduced and is considered invasive elsewhere, including the Mekong river basin (records from Laos and Thailand), Salween river (Myanmar), northern Japan, Taiwan, Turkmeni...

A. macropterus appears in the ornamental trade on an irregular basis and should only be considered by more experienced aquarists with sufficiently large facilities. Given its wide geographical distribution there is a possibility that it represents a group of closely-related species, with genetic studies indicating the existence of several distinct clades.

This specie is relatively rare in the aquarium trade and much sought after by enthusiasts as a result. It looks relatively similar to A. sidthimunki but according to the original description by Kottelat and Chu (1987) can be told apart by colour patterning which uniquely consists of a solid da...

This species is also known by the alternative names 'green' or 'Chinese' barb. The natural 'green' form is an infrequent find in the aquarium trade whereas the selectively-bred 'golden' variant is farmed in huge numbers and is among the most popular of freshwater aquarium fish. The latter was first produced in the 1960s and is now so ubiquitous that many hobbyists are initially unaware that it is not the natural form.

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...

Adult patterning of the different geographical forms can vary considerably though young specimens all possess 5 solid dark bars on each flank and are often confused with those species exhibiting a similar juvenile pattern, particularly B. kubotai. However the horizontal dark bars on the flanks in B. kubotai typically split at quite a young age and/or develop horizontally-orientated 'peaks' whereas those in B. histrionica remain solid for longer and the central bar usually has a pale spot at the top so forms a 'y' shape.

Butis spp. are largely nocturnal ambush predators with cryptic patterning to help them blend in with their surroundings. They can also lighten and darken their body colouration to an extent, have a habit of aligning themselves with solid surfaces whether horizontal, vertical, or inverted, and often swim in an upside-down position. The genus is usually included in the family Eleotridae of which members are often referred to...

No bubble nest is built and several thousand eggs simply float at the surface with both male and female remaining to defend the eggs and fry. The eggs hatch after 24-36 hours depending on temperature and the fry are free swimming in a further 24 hours. At this point they resemble 6-7 mm long black tadpoles. It is important to constantly feed...

Generally considered to have an enormous natural range extending from Iran to Taiwan and Bali, with records existing from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. However there exists significant evidence to suggest that C. gachua as currently understood represents a complex of similar-looking species, and a taxonomic review of the group is clearly required.

This species has not appeared in the ornamental fish trade to date though has been maintained by a handful of private collectors and enthusiasts. It was known for some years prior to description and identified as Badis dario (as Dario dario was known at the time) but is actually much closer to D. hysginon.

Type locality is given as 'Jiucheng, Yunnan Province, China' which could refer to one of several places with the same name in southwestern Yunnan. It's also been collected in Tengchong and Lianghe districts, Yingjiang county, and all known localities are within the Daying river (Dayingjiang) watershed, a major tributary of the larger Irrawaddy/Ayeyarwady river syst...

This species is poorly known and first appeared in the hobby during 2005 but has rarely been seen since, probably because its natural waters lie outside the range of most commercial collectors. It can be distinguished by a combination of characters including: lateral line complete; infraorbital process absent; two pairs of short barbels; 8-9 branched dorsal fin rays; 12-13 branched anal fin rays; P stripe originating above pelvic fin and extending to en...

This species has mostly been collected from small (1-2 metres wide, 20-40 cm deep), moderate-to-swiftly-flowing streams with clear water, substrates of sand, gravel and rocks and no aquatic vegetation. Marginal vegetation was present in some cases, offering a degree of shade, and sympatric species included an unidentified Schistura sp., S. vinciguerrae, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, Garra qiaojiensis,...

E. sinensis was initially included in the genus Protomyzon where it remained until 2004 when Kottelat found sufficient geographical and morphological differences between members of the group inhabiting the island of Borneo and those from mainland East/South East Asia to warrant their separation. The genus Erromyzon was erected to accommodate the mainland fishes and there are currently three...

Erromyzon spp. are obligate dwellers of shallow, fast-flowing, highly-oxygenated headwaters/minor tributaries characterised by stretches of riffles and runs broken up by pools or cascades in some cases. Substrates are normally composed of smaller rocks, sand and gravel with jumbles of boulders, and while riparian/stream-side vegetation and patches of submerged leaf litter are common features aquatic plants aren't usually present.

This fish remains in need of identification, and we've chosen to list unidentified members of the genus using an 'ER' numbering system in the absence of definitive information. It's quite easy to distinguish from congeners since it's the only species known to possess a colour pattern comprising a dark base colour and series of thin, paler vertical bars on the body and similarly-coloured spots on the head.

This species is widely-distributed in the Mekong river system in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, Salween and Ayeyarwaddy rivers in southern China, Myanmar, and Thailand, plus various smaller basins in Vietnam and China. It has also been recorded from the islands of Hainan and Hong Kong. Type locality is given as 'China: sent from Hong Kong'.

An obligate dwellers of swiftly-flowing streams and headwaters containing clear, oxygen-saturated water. It inhabits riffles and runs and according to studies shows a preference for shallower zones. Substrates are generally composed of gravel, rocks, boulders or bedrock carpeted with a rich biofilm formed by algae and other micro-organisms. Aquatic plants are uncommon and while riparian/streamside vegetation may be present...

It is very similar to H. wetmorei but can be told apart by possessing yellow (vs. orange to red in H. wetmorei) pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins. It thus appears likely that yellow-finned fish marketed as H. wetmorei or 'lemon fin barb' in the ornamental trade are actually H. vernayi, with both species available on a regular basis.

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; roun...

Different populations vary in appearance somewhat (see image of Salween specimen for example), and L. leptocheilus may turn out to represent a group of closely-related species rather than a single taxon. The population from the Cambodian Mekong has been considered to represent a distinct species, Labiobarbus lineatus, although that name is currently a synonym of L. leptocheilus following Kottelat (2013). It is widely used in the ornamental trade, however.

This species is rare in the aquarium trade, increasingly so in nature and as a result prohibitively expensive when available. Given its adult size and probable longevity this is therefore a species for the specialist possessing the necessary time, money and dedication to house it long term.

L. elongata is the type species of the genus but according to current knowledge there exist 13 members in total, all of which are endemic to China and northern Vietnam. They're diagnosable by the following shared characters: possession of a simple (non-bifurcated), short sub-ocular spine not extending beyond the posterior edge of the eye; a laterally-compressed body; relatively deep caudal peduncle; pelvic fins reaching origin of anal-fin; anus below base of dorsal-fin and equidistant between pelvic and anal-fin origins.

Superficially similar to L. tientainensis but according to the formal description can be separated by a combination of characters including: more deeply-forked caudal-fin (shortest central rays fit 2.6-2.9 times in the outer rays vs. 1.7-2.5 times); significantly smaller eye (fits 26 times in head length vs. 10 times); caudal-fin with 1-2 dark bands at lateral edges v...

Described from Sichuan province, southwestern China (presumably the upper Yangzte River, aka Chang Jiang, drainage) and also known from parts of the Pearl River (Zhu Jiang) basin in Guangxi Autonomous Region. The latter area is one of the most populous and industrialised in China meaning much of the main river channel is now highly polluted. Its relatively wide distribution probably explains why it's commoner in the aquarium hobby than the similar-looking...

Should be kept in a set-up designed to resemble a flowing stream with a substrate of variably-sized rocks, gravel and some water-worn boulders. This can be further furnished with driftwood roots and branches arranged to form some shaded spots while lengths of PVC piping or similar can be used to provide additional cover. Although most plant species will fail to thrive in such surroundings hardy genera such as Microsorum, Bolbitis or Anubias spp. can be grown attached to the décor and bright lighting will promote the growth of aufwuchs.

L. taeniops is almost unheard of in the aquarium trade although we know of one or two private collectors maintaining it. It was previously included in the related genus Parabotia. L. elongata is the type species of the genus but according to current thinking there exi...

L. disparis is sometimes available as bycatch among shipments of other species such as Rhinogobius duospilus but also appears on trade lists under the fictitious scientific name 'Homaloptera hoffmani'. It can be told apart from similar-looking members of the genus Formosania by its noticeably shorter barbels and from Vanmanenia spp. by the fact that the rostral fold is not lobed and the mouth is relatively small (25% head width. In addition the lower lip in Liniparhomaloptera is not divided and has a flat, papillated edge.

In 1996 the species was known from five localities in Hong Kong, but at least one of these has been destroyed and it is now known only from Tai Po and Sai Kung districts. Additional populations have subsequently been discovered in Guangdong and Fujian provinces on the southern Chinese mainland. Type locality is 'China: Hong Kong: Tai Po: Sha Lo Tung'.

M. ocellatus can be distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: caudal-fin rounded; eye stripe not connecting spot on posterior projection of opercle with eye; dorsal-fin rays filamentous posterior to a vertical through the posterior anal-fin rays in adults; 16-19 spinous dorsal-fin rays; 6-13 rakers on ceratobranchial of first gill arch; posterior tip or margin of body scales not darker than scales.

M. opercularis is a classic aquarium fish, having been introduced to the hobby by a French soldier named Gerault in 1869. Of the initial 100 specimens shipped, 22 survived and were successfully bred later that same year by another Frenchman, the Parisian Pierre Carbonnier. This gives the species the distinction of being one of the very first ornamental fish imported to Europe. It is also known as 'Chinese fighting fish', 'paradise gourami', and 'blue paradise fish'.

It's actually sold in the aquarium hobby on a regular basis but almost always labelled as or mixed in with Misgurnus anguillicaudatus and is thus poorly documented. Although quite simi...

This species is occasionally marketed as 'Burmese Rainbow Barb' in the ornamental trade. others may have been exported in small numbers or as bycatch among shipments of other species. It was referred to as Mystacoleucus marginatus for decades, but that name is a simultaneous subjective synonym of M. obtusirostris following Kottelat (2013).

This species may have appeared in the aquarium trade though probably not under the correct name. It can be told apart from similar-looking congeners by the following combination of characters: presence of a black round spot at the caudal base; dorsal-fin rays black with connecting membranes transparent; posterior dorsal-fin origin located midway between upper angle of gill aperture and caudal-fin base, or slightly closer to the latter.

This species has previously been considered synonymous with both O. ornatus and O. pulchellus but is currently considered to be distinct following (Tejavej, 2012). It can be distinguished from congeners by a combination of characters including: small caudal spot presen...

This species is traded for aquaria under various names including 'butterfly barb', 'mackerel barb', 'green-barred danio', and 'royal opsarius'. It can be told apart from other memb...

Commonly known as 'Japanese rice fish' or simply 'rice fish', O. latipes is well-known to science having been widely used as a model organism in genomic and experimental biology for well over a century and was the first vertebrate animal to mate in space during the mid-1990s. It's also been a popular aquarium fish for many years, though is less widely-available than it once was, with the ornamental 'gold' vari...

Type locality is the town of Luxian, located north of Luzhou city, Sichuan province, southwest China. Luxian lies on the Laixi River, one of several tributaries converging with the main Yangtze river channel near Luzhou and forming part of the latter's upper drainage basin. The full extent o...

It's told apart from congeners by a combination of characters as follows: large scales present on body and sides of head; caudal fin deeply forked with subequal lobes; 10-13 dark, vertical bars on the body; a dark, ocellated spot in the centre of the caudal-fin base; two bars on top of head, dorsal-fin with two rows of greyish spots; caudal-fin lobes with 3-4 dark bands on each; anal-fin with one indistinct band and another, more distinct, submarginal band; ventral fins with two indistinct bands.

The name of this fish is unclear with the fact that diagnoses for several members of this genus do not appear to exist in the English language making identification even trickier. It's not common in the aquarium trade, either.

Traded under various names including 'mottled', 'eyepot', 'sand' and 'striped' loach. It's perhaps one of the better choices for those new to keeping nemacheilids being relatively hardy, peaceful and exhibiting some quirky behavioural traits. The characteristic ocellus, a dark marking at the top of the caudal peduncle that resembles an eye, is thought to have some function in predator distraction and is normally more intense in younger specimens.

This species is almost identical to the wild form of 'P.' semifasciolatus which is best known as the 'golden barb' in the aquarium hobby due to the popularity of a yellowish ornamental strain. The natural colour pattern is greenish in both species, however, and in terms of external characters they're only reliably distinguished by the fact that 'P.' semifasciolatus possesses a pair of prominent maxillary barbels wherea...

Very few details exist but the type locality is given as 'Yangso, Li Kiang, Kwangsi Province, southern China', which should correspond to an unspecified location within the Li River (Li Jiang) system in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China. The specimens in our images were collected i...

This species was previously considered to be a subspecies of R. nagoyae but has generally been accepted as distinct since 2008. It can be told apart from other Rhinogobius spp. from Taiwan by presence of irregular, wavy, reddish brown lines on the cheek and opercle.

This species appears to exist in a number of different forms which exhibit differences in colour pattern, morphology, or both, and it's currently unclear whether all of them are truly conspecific or not although to avoid confusion we list all together here.

Presumably inhabits small rivers, tributaries and streams with substrates of gravel, rocks, boulders, and exposed bedrock which undergo seasonal variations in water flow rate, depth and turbidity. Lanyu Island is volcanic, measures just 45 km² and has no major rivers or large settlements with a permanent human population of around 4000, although there is a large nuclear waste storage facility at its southern end.

This species appears to exist in a number of different forms which exhibit differences in colour pattern, morphology, or both, and it's currently unclear whether all of them are truly conspecific or not although those in the aquarium trade all appear similar to one another. We've been unable to obtain a copy of the original description so it's not currently possible to provide a detailed diagnosis either, with most recent studi...

It's unlikely that this species has been in the aquarium hobby given its natural range and the lack of commercial fishing for the ornamental trade in that area. Among congeners it's most similar to R. davidi but can be told apart by presence of 8 (vs. always 9 in R. davidi) soft dorsal-fin rays, 10 (vs. 11-12) transverse scale rows, and 6-7 (vs. 8-10) scales between the first dorsal-fin origin and upper pectoral-fin base.

This species may not yet have appeared in the ornamental trade but it has been collected by a few individuals. It can be told apart from related species from Taiwan by possessing 30-32 longitudinal (lateral) scales vs. 32-39 in other species, and 6-8 scale rows between the origin of the first dorsal-fin and upper pectoral-fin base vs. 9-15 in other species.

This species' name has appeared quite regularly on ornamental fish trade lists since the mid-00's but it's unclear whether the species itself has ever been exported since fish labelled as such do not appear to fully match the most recent key (see below). That said, its natural habitats lie in the same region as the loach Yaoshania pachychilus so it's reasonable to assume that some specimens may have been collected, and the fish in our images were ca...

This species has been in the aquarium trade since 2010 and is sold under several names including 'Chinese vermilion goby', 'Zhou's scarlet goby', 'scarlet goby', and 'flame goby'. It can be told apart from congeners by the following combination of characters: second dorsal-fin rays I, 8-9; anal-fin rays I, 7-8; pectoral-fin rays 16-18; longitudinal scale series 29-31; predorsal scales 10-12; vertebral count 10+16=26.

Type locality is given as 'Babianjiang River, 24°20'N, 100°10'E, Jingdong County, Yunnan Province, China'. The Babianjiang joins the Mengyejiang River to form the Langmajiang River, a tributary of the Lixianjiang (Black River) within the Red River basin.

Can be told apart from congeners by its colour pattern which consists of 8-11 closely-set, narrow dark bars in the anterior part of the body and 5 wider bars in the posterior part. It also possesses prominent dorsal and ventral adipose crests on the caudal peduncle and 9½ branched dorsal-fin rays.

This species is distributed in the middle Mekong River basin in north and northeastern Thailand, Myanmar and Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, southern China, and is also known from the Nam Beng, Nam Tha and Nam Yuoan drainages in Laos. Type locality is 'Laun We (Loi Mw...

Appears restricted to highly-oxygenated, fast-flowing riffles of small-to-medium sized streams. These typically contain clear water with substrates of gravel, rocks, boulders, and bedrock with no aquatic plants.

It's been considered a synonym of Schistura caudofurca (Mai, 1978) by the majority of recent authors following Kottelat (2001) but this appears to be a case of misidentification since the two species exhibit several notable differences based on their respective descriptions (Endruweit, 2010).

Schistura species are omnivorous although the bulk of their diet consists of small insects, worms, crustaceans and other zooplankton with only relatively small amounts of plant matter consumed, mostly via the stomach contents of prey items. In the aquarium they will acc...

Type locality is given as 'Boleling, northern Bali, Indonesia' which appears to correspond to modern-day Buleleng, but this species is currently understood to have a patchy but wide distribution with a range stretching westwards from the Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia), throughout much of Vanuatu, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Fiji, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, and most recently, southern mainland China...

This species is also sold under the vernacular names 'golden Chinese loach' and '12-banded Chinese loach'. Along with S. robusta it's the most commonly-traded member of the genus, and the two are often imported in mixed batches, presumably because they occur and are thus collected together in nature. Like most congeners it has a highly flexible, sinuous body which makes it very interesting to observe. S. pulchra can be differentiated from...

This species not often seen in the aquarium trade and is apparently rare in its natural waters, with the occasional individual imported as bycatch in shipments of S. pulchra or S. robusta, or by private collectors. Like others in the genus it has a highly flexible, sinuous body which makes it very interesting to observe. It's told apart from congeners by the following combination of chara...

This species is also sold under the vernacular names 'golden Chinese loach' and '12-banded Chinese loach'. Along with S. pulchra it's the most commonly-traded member of the genus, and the two are often imported in mixed batches, presumably because they occur and are thus collected together in nature.

This species is rarely-seen in the trade due to a relative lack of commercial exports from the middle Yangtze basin. It looks very similar to S. pulchra but can be told apart by the fact it lacks irregular, brownish markings and spots on the side of the head (vs. present in S. pulchra), and like most congeners it has a highly flexible, sinuous body which makes it very interesting to observe.

At the type locality of the congener S. lixianjiangensis sympatric species included Balitora kwangsiensis, Glyptothorax quadriocellatus, Garra orientalis, Hemibagrus pluriradtus, Poropuntius huangchieni, Pseudecheneis paviei,...

This species is probably the most common member of the genus in the aquarium trade but still not often exported in numbers. Instead it's more often found in mixed shipments of other wild-collected fishes from southern China, particularly Beaufortia or Pseudogastromyzon spp. It may appear superficially simi...

This species is available occasionally, though not always under the correct name. We've seen it on sale as S. elegans on numerous occasions, for example, and other trade names include 'Sumatran blue neon goby' (it's not found on Sumatra), 'cobalt blue goby' and 'freshwater neon goby'. Further...

One of the most ubiquitous species in the hobby and several ornamental strains are available including 'long-finned', 'golden', 'albino', and 'super red', for which care is identical to that of the 'standard' fish. Unfortunately the degree of inbreeding amongst farm-bred stock has resulted in a situation whereby many of the fish available today are genetically weak and prone to disease or develop physical deformities.

Wild swordtails are a fairly basic green colur. However the vast majority of swordtails available in the hobby today are hybrids of X.helleri with X.maculatus or X.variatus. There are a huge number of selectively-bred varieties available, including wagtail, lyretail, tuxedo, albino, neon, red, green and hi-fin. Swordtails may undergo what appears to be a change in sex. In young fish this may simply be late development. However some adult females develop male characteristics which is thought ...

Juvenile specimens were first exported for the aquarium hobby during 2009 and have since been available on a sporadic basis with prices generally reflecting its rarity and, hopefully, number of specimens being collected. The striking black-and-white-striped juvenile colour pattern inspired the vernacular name although it's sometimes labelled as 'panda goby' rather than 'panda loach'.

This species isn't especially popular in the aquarium trade but is undoubtedly interesting despite its lack of colour. In addition to its survival ability in the absence of water it's also capable of producing audible sounds though the purpose of these has not been fully-studied. Naturally-occurring xanthic and albino forms have also been recorded. There is considerable confusion as to the taxonomic status of the two species currently occupying this genus, with ichthyologists widely...

Known from the from the Red River in northern Vietnam and Yunnan province, southern China, plus the Thái Bình, Sông Kỳ Cùng, Mã and Lam rivers in Vietnam and possibly the Nam Xam and Nam Ma drainages in Laos. Type locality is 'Market in Hanoi, Vietnam'.

This species is largely unsuitable for the home aquarium given its eventual size and natural behaviour, and we know of only a handful of private aquarists with the facilities required to house it long-term. It's currently illegal to import or own the species in the United States, United Kingdom and several other countries unless in possession of an official license.

This species is also referred to as 'giant', 'great', 'cobra', or 'Indian' snakehead. Although currently-considered to be distributed throughout much of southern Asia it is widely-accepted to represent a complex of related species in need of additional research. A number of geographical variants exhibiting diffe...

Despite being a wholly unsuitable aquarium subject, C. idella is often traded as such, with an albino form having been developed specifically for the ornamental market. Individuals which have outgrown their aquarium or pond should never be released into natural waters, either, since this species has proven capable of causing serious environmental damage under a wide range of climatic conditions.

This species is also known by the vernacular 'jungle perch' or 'sidebar barb' and should not be considered an aquarium subject in all but the most extreme circumstances since it can grow to over 2 feet in length, weigh in excess of 5 kg and is a powerful, pelagic predator. It's also a popular sport fish with a reputation for striking hard.

Juvenile specimens are sometimes available in the aquarium trade although their purchase is strongly discouraged, and this species probably shouldn't be considered a home aquarium subject at all given its eventual size plus the fact it can live for several decades. H. wyckioides can be told apart from mos...

The monotypic genus Incisilabeo is separated from the closely-related taxon Bangana by presence of a unique and conspicuous transverse notch across the top of the head, comparable in position to the ethmoid furrow in Bangana species. This notch approaches the eye, and the top of the head bulges forward, with the nostrils located partially beneath this projection and immediately anterior to the eyes. Tubercles cover the upper portion of the rostral fold, lower part of the notch, and upper surface of the forehead projection...

It is thought to have been extirpated from the Chao Phraya and Mae Klong rivers, Lake Songkhla, and the entire island of Java due to a variety of anthropogenic factors, and the Mekong populations have also been drastically reduced. In particular, it is sensitive to pollution and gillnetting, and is heavily overfished.

This species is traded under various names including 'Chinese banded shark', 'Chinese sucker', 'freshwater batfish', 'high-fin banded loach', etc. It's currently illegal to import or own privately in several countries, including the UK, but continues to be available with only the attractive juvenile form traded, and almost always without information regarding adult size of almost a metre or potential lifepan of 25 years+. Myxocyprinus is a monotypic genus and the only Asian representative of the family Cato...

Following Kottelat (1990) the genus Nemacheilus is characterised by a combination of characters as follows: elongate body; complete lateral line; presence of enlarged scales above and below the lateral line in some species; caudal-fin forked to deeply forked with enlarged upp...

Recorded from Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi provinces in southwestern China, plus the islands of Hainan and Hong Kong. Type locality is 'Lian-Xian and Yang-Shan, Guangdong, China', corresponding to the Bei River drainage.

A. iridescens and its closest relative A. longipinnis can be distinguished from all other barred species of Acrossocheilus by the following characters: wider (vs. narrower) black vertical bars on the flank in adults, each five to eight (vs. no more than four) scales in width; a horse-shoe shaped (vs. arched) mouth gape; rostral barbel located posteriorly (vs. anteriorly) to a horizontal line through the anteriormost margin of the lower jaw; two postlabial grooves extending anteromedially beyond (vs. away from) a horizontal line through the roots of the rostral barbels.

Apparently endemic to the upper Yangtze River basin, China. Type locality is 'mountain-stream fiowing into the Ichang gorge of the Yangtsze River'.

Members of the genus are characterised by possessing a particular number of dark vertical bar on each flank, and A. parallens belongs to a group of species with five or six such bars, each of which is two scales in width. Congeners sharing this pattern include A. fasciatus, A. hemispinus (in juveniles only), A. jishouensis, A. kreyenbergii, A. paradoxus, A. spinifer, A. wenchowensis, and A. wuyiensis.

This species is frequently confused with C. argus but can be distinguished by the following characters: dorsal-fin rays 38-45 (vs. 47-50 in C. argus); anal fin rays 26-29 (vs. 31-36); lateral line scales 50-56 (vs. 60-66); 2-3 rounded blotches on caudal peduncle (vs. no blotches on caudal peduncle). It is widely-distributed in Pacific coastal drainages of southeastern China (e.g. the Yangtze, Minjiang, Hangjiang River, and Pearl (Nanjiu...

The adult size and power of this impressive predator preclude it from consideration as an aquarium species, but young individuals are nevertheless available in the ornamental trade on an irregular basis therefore it is included here. It is an entirely unsuitable choice for the home aquarium and the majority of zoos and public aquaria would probably struggle to maintain it in adequate conditions.

G. bispinosa can be distinguished from all other congeners in Southeast Asia and China by the following combination of characters: a conspicuous, quadrate, anteriorly-directed proboscis orientated ventrally against the snout and anteriorly adorned with a single, large, uniscupid, acanthoid tubercle on the distal tip of each lobe; snout with a deep groove across its tip to form a transverse lobe; 34-35 lateral...

This species can be distinguished from congeners inhabiting the Red River basin in Yunnan province, China, by the following combination of characters: no barbels; 46-52 lateral line scales; 16 circumpeduncular scales; pharyngeal teeth in 3 rows, 2.4.5-5.4.2; snout rounded, no secondary rostrum, no longitudinal...

This species is characterised by possession of a transverse groove on the snout, directly in front of the eyes, and a bifurcate proboscis with a conical keratinised tubercle at each anterior tip.

G. notata is one of a number of congeners to lack both a transverse groove and a proboscis on the snout. It also possesses 33-34 lateral line scales and a series of dark spots at the base of the dorsal-fin rays, and lacks scales on the lower portion of the body and abdomen. The genus Garra is a particularly enigmatic grouping with new taxa...

Among other Garra species from Southeast Asia and China, G. orientalis is most similar to G. salweenica and G. fuliginosa in that all three possess a roughly triangular, trilobed proboscis on the snout, the anterior margin of which is densely tuberculated, and the inferior margin not in contact with the depressed rostral surface, i.e., the proboscis projects forwards.

G. qiaojiensis can be differentiated from closely-related congeners by the configuration of its proboscis, which is quadrate (1.6-1.8 times wider than long), reflected downwards against the snout and heavily tuberculated anteriorly, and the relative size of its mental disc which measures 48.7-55.9 % HL.

Prior to its description, G. rotundinasus was considered to represent the congener G. gravleyi, but the latter is now accepted to occur only in the Salween and Manipur river basins. These two are separated from all other Garra species in China and Southeast Asia by possession of a weakly-devel...

G. salweenica can be distinguished from other congeners inhabiting the Salween watershed by the following combinatuion of characters: body brownish; presence of a trilobed proboscis on the snout; snout blunt; a series of black spots at the base of the central dorsal-fin rays; presence of longitudinal stripes on the posterior portion of the body; a dark marking at the tip of the upper (and lower in some specimens) caudal-fin lobe; body depth 22.4-25.3 % SL.

Recorded from the middle to lower Mekong river basin in southern China (Yiunnan province), Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, plus the Chao Phraya watershed in central Thailand. Type locality is 'Thailand: Lam Ton Lang, a tributary of Menam Sak [Mae Nam Pa Sak; Ban Lam Thong Lang, village northwest of Pakjong'.

This species has been recorded from the Zhujiang (Pearl River), Changjiang (Yangtze River) and Qiantang Jiang in central and southern China. Type locality is 'Chang Jiang, China', referring to the Yangtze. It's been adversely affected by dam construction and pollution across certain parts of its range and may be locally extirpated in some cases.

This species can be distinguished from other members of the genus by the following combination of characters: absence of dark spots on body in adults; body elongate with slightly convex dorsal profile; head longer than body is deep; snout much longer than postorbital head length; lips well developed, lateral lobes of lower lip broad and thick with folds, median process small; barbel thickness shorter or equal to eye diameter; dorsal spine strong, ⅔ of HL; dorsal-fin origin closer to tip of snout than caudal-fin base base; 15+ gill rakers; 6½ branched anal-fin rays; posterior simple dorsal-fin rays ossified and spinous.

A predominantly riverine fish preferring clear, well-oxygenated, running waters with substrates of sand, gravel, rock or mud, where adults tend to form schools just above the substrate in slower-moving sections.

Widepread in eastern Asia between the Yangtze and Amur river basins, including China (mainland and islands of Taiwan and Hainan), Korea, Mongolia, Russia, and Japan. It probably been introduced to Vietnam and Laos, or records from these countries represent another species.

Endemic to the Salween river system in Yunnan province, southern China, eastern Myanmar, and northwestern Thailand. Type locality is 'Salween River midway between Mae Sam Laep and Paleh, Mae Hong Son province, Thailand.'

This species is extremely widespread and has been recorded from Pakistan, Nepal, most of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and southern China. Type locality is 'Bengal and western provinces, India'.

This species can be distinguished by the following characters: juveniles with brown body and dark marking at base of caudal-fin; 37-42 + 3-4 lateral line scales; 11½ branched dorsal-fin rays; 7½ scale rows between lateral line and dorsal-fin origin; 20-25 predorsal scales; dorsal-fin relatively small with anterior branched rays shorter than head in juveniles, slightly longer than head in adults.

Although it is included in the genus Metzia this grouping remains somewhat unresolved in terms of taxonomy and it may contain more than a single genetic lineage. For example, members share a number of characters with the genera Ischikauia Jordan and Snyder 1900, Hemiculterella Warpachowski 1887, and several species of Anabarilius Cockerell 1923, including a bipartite gas bladder, a non-spinous dorsal-fin ray, and a sharp ventral keel between the pelvic-fin insertion and anus.

Populations from the upper Pearl River (Nanpan Jiang basin) differ in several morphological characters from those inhabiting Guangdong, Guangxi, and Guizhou Provinces, and Hainan Island. Those from Vietnam also seem to be different (Gan et al., 2009), the implication being that there may be several species currently included under the name M. lineata.

This species can be distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: body relatively slender, depth fitting 3.4-3.8 times in SL; 32-33 + 2 lateral line scales; 14 circumpeduncular scale rows; presence of a single pair of barbels; black distal margin on dorsal-fin; numerous body scales with dark, crescent-shaped markings.