Micronemacheilus

This species is traded under various names including 'Vietnamese multi-banded zebra loach', 'hovering zebra loach', 'Laos pygmy multi-stripe loach', and 'banded dwarf loach'. It can be distinguished from related species by the following combination of characters: body with distinct vertical bars; 8 branched dorsal-fin rays; 3-10 pored lateral line scales; one pair of large papillae in median portion of upper lip; two pairs of large papillae in median portion of lower lip; lower posterior edge of opercle with 3-4 prominent indentations.