Hanthayaw

The orange-banded stream catfish, Akysis vespa, appears endemic to headwaters of the Salween basin on the border between Myanmar and Thailand. One of the few members of the family exported for the hobby, it is also sold as 'wasp catfish' or 'orange micro bumblebee catfish'. Its yellow markings normally form wide bands, a pattern rarely seen in congeners, and the yellow on the snout extends to the base of the nasal barbels.

The polka-dot loach, Botia kubotai, is a botiid loach that appears to be endemic to headwaters of the Salween basin in Myanmar and Thailand. It was traded before it was described and is still sold as 'angelicus', 'Burmese border loach' and 'marbled loach', among other names. Juveniles are often confused with B. histrionica, but the dark bars in B. kubotai split at a young age.

The Burmese red-tailed garra, Garra sp. 'redtail', is a cyprinid from headwaters of the Salween basin around the border between Myanmar and Thailand. A putatively undescribed species, it is often sold as G. sp. 'burmanicus' and first appeared in the trade in 2005. A flexible, proboscis-like rostral process between the eyes becomes erect during territorial conflicts or courtship. It inhabits shady, fast-flowing stretches and riffles.

Microdevario kubotai is a miniature cyprinid from peninsular Thailand and the Salween drainage in southern Myanmar. Relatively common in the ornamental trade, it is sold under names including 'green neon rasbora' and 'yellow neon rasbora'. It apparently inhabits calm to moderately-flowing, well-oxygenated headwaters and minor tributaries. In nature it typically occurs in groups of 20-50, and at least 8-10 are recommended.

The cherry-fin loach, Paracanthocobitis pictilis, is a nemacheilid loach from the Ataran River, a Salween tributary on the Thailand-Myanmar border. Before its description it was traded as P. rubidipinnis, a species apparently endemic to the lower Irrawaddy. Bolder and less peaceful than other members of the genus, it inhabits shady, fast-flowing riffles, and some males become aggressive unless kept in a mixed-sex group of at least six.

Systomus orphoides is a large cyprinid ranging from Myanmar to Vietnam and south through Peninsular Malaysia to Borneo, Sumatra and Java. It mostly inhabits flowing tributaries and large streams, moving onto inundated farmland and forest in the wet season to feed and spawn. Not often available in the trade and usually seen as bycatch, it grows to 250 mm SL, is quite boisterous, and needs more-or-less spotless water.