This species is sometimes traded as ‘Lake Inle red-tailed loach’ and was formerly included in the genus Yunnanilus, a diverse assemblage of which the majority of members are endemic to the Yunnan plateau in Yunnan province, southern China.

S. resplendens is traded under several names including ‘Asian rummynose’, ‘rummynose rasbora’ and ‘naked microrasbora’. It can be immediately distinguished from all other Asian cyprinids by the distinctive colour pattern.

The genus Sawbwa is currently monotypic and endemic to the isolated lake basin of Inlé in Shan State, eastern Myanmar.

This species may be seen on sale under various trade names including ‘red-line dwarf rasbora’, ’emerald dwarf rasbora’, or ‘red dwarf rasbora’. A similar-looking, apparently undescribed congener has been collected near the town of Hopong, also in Shan State. It differs from M. rubescens by possessing a greenish to bluish lateral stripe plus a larger adult size, and is traded as Microrasbora cf. rubescens, M. ‘thuzari’, M. sp. ‘rose blue line’, ‘Asian Cardinal Rasbora’, or ‘flame red rasbora’.

Originally described as a member of Barilius (Annandale, 1918) but Howes (1980a) considered it more closely related to cheline cyprinids (Chela and Laubuca spp.) based on morphological characters and erected the genus Inlecypris for it (Howes, 1980b). Fang (2003) supported Howes’ conclusions in her 2003 phylogenetic study of the genus Danio, hypothesising that Inlecypris and Chela together form a sister group to Devario.

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.