Parabotia

Parabotia bimaculata is a riverine botiid loach from the upper Yangtze basin in Sichuan, southwest China, described from the Laixi River at Luxian. It looks similar to P. fasciata but has two dark markings at the caudal-fin base (vs. one) and 12-15 dark bars on the body. Like other Parabotia it favours clear, well-oxygenated running water over rocks and gravel, and needs spotless water in the aquarium.

Parabotia fasciata is a botiid loach from China, described from the Yangtze and also recorded from much of the Pearl River watershed. It is rarely seen in the trade and usually arrives only as bycatch among shipments of Sinibotia, particularly S. robusta. A single dark spot at the caudal-fin base separates it from the similar P. bimaculata, and numerous species from several genera are considered synonymous with it.

Parabotia lijiangensis is a botiid loach described from the Li River drainage near Guilin, in the Pearl River system of southern China. It has 10-13 dark vertical bars on the body and a dark, ocellated spot in the centre of the caudal-fin base. It probably inhabits clear, well-oxygenated running water, and the occasional specimen may turn up among shipments of similar-looking Sinibotia.

Parabotia sp. 'PB01' is an unidentified botiid loach imported into Singapore in 2012 from Sichuan province, southwestern China. Its name is unclear, and identification is harder still because diagnoses for several members of the genus do not appear to exist in English. It is not common in the aquarium trade and presumably needs clear, well-oxygenated running water like its congeners.