Celestichthys

C. choprae has only been available since 2003 but has quickly established itself as one of the most popular small danios in the hobby. There has been some confusion regarding the correct spelling of the specific name with many resources listing it incorrectly as "choprai". Briefly, when Hora described the species he named it after a man, Dr B. N. Chopra, meaning that "choprai" is technically correct as under ICZN rules the specific name ought to follow the gender of the indiv...

This species was formerly included in the genus Microrasbora although it's long-been considered a danionin by certain authors, e.g., Kottelat and Witte (1999) and was placed within the genus Danio for a period. In the aquarium trade it's marketed under various names including 'emerald dwarf danio', 'thick band purple zebra danio' and 'cross-banded dwarf rasbora'.

Known only from a handful of streams in the upper Mali Hka river drainage, Ayeyarwaddy River system, near Putao township in the far north of Kachin state, northern Myanmar. Type locality is 'Nan Hto Chaung in Putao, about 1 mile from 46th regiment, close to rice mill'.

The type locality is an area of permanently-flooded grassland formed by the damming of a spring for agricultural purposes. The water is only around 30cm deep, transparent and supports dense growths of aquatic plants, mostly from the family Hydrocharitaceae which includes such genera as Elodea, Egeria and Blyxa. Sympatric species included Devario sondhii, a Microrasbora very similar to M. rubescens, an undescribed Yunnanilus known to aquarists as the 'rosy' loach and Channa harcourtbutleri.