Populations from the upper Pearl River (Nanpan Jiang basin) differ in several morphological characters from those inhabiting Guangdong, Guangxi, and Guizhou Provinces, and Hainan Island. Those from Vietnam also seem to be different (Gan et al., 2009), the implication being that there may be several species currently included under the name M. lineata.

Although it is included in the genus Metzia this grouping remains somewhat unresolved in terms of taxonomy and it may contain more than a single genetic lineage. For example, members share a number of characters with the genera Ischikauia Jordan and Snyder 1900, Hemiculterella Warpachowski 1887, and several species of Anabarilius Cockerell 1923, including a bipartite gas bladder, a non-spinous dorsal-fin ray, and a sharp ventral keel between the pelvic-fin insertion and anus.

Among other Garra species from Southeast Asia and China, G. orientalis is most similar to G. salweenica and G. fuliginosa in that all three possess a roughly triangular, trilobed proboscis on the snout, the anterior margin of which is densely tuberculated, and the inferior margin not in contact with the depressed rostral surface, i.e., the proboscis projects forwards.

A. macropterus appears in the ornamental trade on an irregular basis and should only be considered by more experienced aquarists with sufficiently large facilities.

Given its wide geographical distribution there is a possibility that it represents a group of closely-related species, with genetic studies indicating the existence of several distinct clades.

This species is frequently confused with C. argus but can be distinguished by the following characters: dorsal-fin rays 38-45 (vs. 47-50 in C. argus); anal fin rays 26-29 (vs. 31-36); lateral line scales 50-56 (vs. 60-66); 2-3 rounded blotches on caudal peduncle (vs. no blotches on caudal peduncle).

It is widely-distributed in Pacific coastal drainages of southeastern China (e.g. the Yangtze, Minjiang, Hangjiang River, and Pearl (Nanjiu…

No bubble nest is built and several thousand eggs simply float at the surface with both male and female remaining to defend the eggs and fry.

The eggs hatch after 24-36 hours depending on temperature and the fry are free swimming in a further 24 hours. At this point they resemble 6-7 mm long black tadpoles.

It is important to constantly feed…

This species appears to exist in a number of different forms which exhibit differences in colour pattern, morphology, or both, and it’s currently unclear whether all of them are truly conspecific or not although those in the aquarium trade all appear similar to one another.

We’ve been unable to obtain a copy of the original description so it’s not currently possible to provide a detailed diagnosis either, with most recent studi…

This species appears to exist in a number of different forms which exhibit differences in colour pattern, morphology, or both, and it’s currently unclear whether all of them are truly conspecific or not although to avoid confusion we list all together here.

Juvenile specimens were first exported for the aquarium hobby during 2009 and have since been available on a sporadic basis with prices generally reflecting its rarity and, hopefully, number of specimens being collected. The striking black-and-white-striped juvenile colour pattern inspired the vernacular name although it’s sometimes labelled as ‘panda goby’ rather than ‘panda loach’.

It’s told apart from congeners by a combination of characters as follows: large scales present on body and sides of head; caudal fin deeply forked with subequal lobes; 10-13 dark, vertical bars on the body; a dark, ocellated spot in the centre of the caudal-fin base; two bars on top of head, dorsal-fin with two rows of greyish spots; caudal-fin lobes with 3-4 dark bands on each; anal-fin with one indistinct band and another, more distinct, submarginal band; ventral fins with two indistinct bands.