The genus Barbonymus was erected by Kottelat in 1999 and contains former members of Barbodes from southeast Asia. The type species is B. schwanenfeldii and currently there exist only three other representatives; B. altus, B. collingwoodii and B. gonionotus.

The latter two are rare in the hobby although an SF member has kept B. gonionotus in the past so they are worth looking out for if you harbour an…

This species is among the few members of the family to have been exported for the aquarium hobby. It can be differentiated from all other Akysis species by the following combination of characters: head length 17.7-26.5% of standard length (SL); head width 25.4-28.7% SL; body depth at anus 13.0-17.0% SL; caudal peduncle depth 8.1-10.1% SL; interorbital di…

This species is traded under various names including 'chocolate scissor-tailed loach', chocolate long-finned loach', 'red line cobra loach', 'spiny eel loach' and 'dragon loach'. It's apparently difficult to find in its natural habitats and thus time-consuming to collect, meaning it's rarely traded in numbers, sought after by enthusiasts and tends to carry a relatively high price tag when available.

The genus currently contains just three…

This species was originally named Nemacheilus masyae but following ICZN rules the spelling was later corrected to N. masyai because it’s named after a man. It can be distinguished from the majority of congeners by body patterning comprising 14-18 short, dark vertical bars on each flank, 12-17 saddle-like markings running along the dorsal surface, a dark spot on the caudal peduncle at the termination of the lateral line and a dark blotch in the lower half of the first few dorsal-fin rays.

It’s included in the P. kuhlii–oblonga group of closely-related species within the genus as per Bohlen et al. (2011) and can be…

Some Sumatran and Bornean populations of the highly variable P. shelfordii superficially resemble P. piperata which can cause issues with identification as the two often occur together. In general however the body patterning in P. piperata is than that of P. shelfordii and they differ in vertebral counts (mode 47 vs. 50, respectively).

Patterning is highly variable depending both within and between populations and the species may comprise an assemblage containing a number of taxa (Kottelat and Lim, 1993; Tan and Kottelat, 2009). For example, those from Singapore and Johor possessing intricate mottling on the dorsal surface while individuals from Terengganu have a series of saddle-like markings either alternating or connecting with the midlateral markings.

The water at the type locality is described as ‘clear and fast-flowing over a rocky substratum’. H. parclitella was observed in shallow water among the rocks, and sympatric species included Garra cambodgiensis, Neolissochilus soroides, Poropuntius smedleyi, ‘Puntius‘ binotatus, Homaloptera nebulosa and Amblyceps mangois.

Recorded from numerous river basins in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Peninsular Malaysia, including the Mekong, Chao Phraya, Mae Khlong, Chanthaburi, Tapi, Golok, Terengganu, Pahang, Endau, and Muar.

Type locality is ‘Kratt, southeastern Siam’, which corresponds to modern-day Trat Province, Thailand.

This is the most commonly-encountered representative of the genus in the aquatic trade though is by no means common. As in other members of the genus body colouration is highly variable, even among individuals collected from a single locality, although a few useful regularities have been observed which can be used to distinguish certain species. This is thought related to the fact that Acrochordonichthys spp. periodically shed their skins and appear paler post-moulting.

A. rugosus lends its …