Another request for loach identification

[Frank M. Greco]

This was sent under the common name ornate tiger sand loach, and the scientific name Schistura kochangensis. It's from India. There's nothing ornate or tiger about it, though <<G>>. Any ideas? Actually, there are at least two more species in this batch, all imported under the same name. I'll post those pics as well if anyone is interested.



Thanks!

[mikev]

Maybe post them all on the same thread?

[Frank M. Greco]

Maybe post them all on the same thread?

O.K., here's one.....

[Martin Thoene]

Not Schistura kohchangensis. That's this:

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/sc ... ensis.html

Looks more like Nemacheilus masyae:

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/ne ... asyae.html

OR Nemacheilus binotatus:

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/ne ... tatus.html

OR N. pallidus:

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/ne ... lidus.html

Sometimes with these species the lateral stripe can come and go or appear spotted.


Be interesting to see the others too.

Martin.

[Frank M. Greco]

And here's the other.



Thanks again.

[Martin Thoene]

The second one is definitely Schistura kohchangensis. When you said they were mixed and that name was attached, that's what i expected to see.

Martin.

[mikev]

Compare:

Yours:



Jim Powers' (from a recent thread):

[Jim Powers]

That's what they look like after they have a few meals.

[mikev]

I think there were two more possible species in the same tank.

How about this fellow?



(yes, the pattern is almost impossible to see...)

[Frank M. Greco]

The second one is definitely Schistura kohchangensis. When you said they were mixed and that name was attached, that's what i expected to see. Martin.

Thanks for the identification.

[Frank M. Greco]

(yes, the pattern is almost impossible to see...)

Here's another pic of the same fish. The markings are more visible.

[mikev]

One effect noticed on kohchangensis, after I saw a few: they seem to split their stripes.

This is probably the same effect that occurs in Clown loaches and also in striped kuhlis (with kuhlis, it is usually formations of white dots inside black stripes).

Both with Clowns and Kuhlis this seems to occur in sub-adult fish; for example, this would not happen to a clown smaller than perhaps 5", but 5" is still not an adult. I observed this happening to a Kuhli that was still growing.

But Schistura has a shorter lifespan, so this *may* be an indication of old age (if the splitting occurs in 3-year old fish, well, 3-year old Clown or Kuhli is young, but not a Schistura).

Incidentally, any explanation as to why? 5-6 year lifespan of Schistura does not seem to fit right when smaller botias and even kuhlis seem to be 10+. What exactly is different? Part of it is certainly the -ploidity but there should be more here.