P. myersi or Beaufortia?

[Phydo_fish]

I've got a cute little hillstream loach which was erroneously labeled a "Butterfly Pleco" (Peckoltia pulcher) by my local pet shop. With a little research, I deduced that it was actually a hillstream loach. It appears to be what Dr. Axelrod calls a "Myer's Hillstream Loach" (Pseudogastromyzon myersi); however I have since noticed a few pictures on Loaches Online of a "Beaufortia" species that seem to depict my loach. Can anyone out there help my identify my little Squigee? It's a light tannish color with small dark spots, with larger spots on it's dorsal and tail fins. I've got a few pics...

[Gary Herring]

Cant see a photo and without seeing one its hard to tell. Dark spots with light background would mean Beaufortia, but i've never seen one with spots that extend onto the fins, their tail fin usually has vertical faint black lines.
http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/be ... ensis.html
From your discription i would very much doubt your fish is any of the Pseudogastromyzon species. Hopefully somebody else might be able to help a bit more.
Here's some Hillstream info:http://www.loaches.com/hillstream_intro.html

[Phydo_fish]

Thanks for the links... (already checked those out though). I've created a gallery called "User Galleries/p_fish/P.myersi?" on loachtank.com. If you check the pics out, please let me know if you recognize my fish. Thanks!

[Gary Herring]

Yep, just checked it out and your fish is a Beaufortia Kweichowensis.

Unfortunatly, as you have found out, Hillstream loaches are among the most mis-identified fish in the aquatic trade. They get called stupid names like 'devil sucker', 'chinese pleco', and even 'mini sting-ray' by the majority of aquatic retailers, who not only don't really know what they are, but equally don't know how to care for them. If you want reliable info on this type of fish, you've found the right place!

[Phydo_fish]

Thanks for the interest Gary... I've been checking out some more pics of other people's Beafortia sp. It does seem that my "Squigee" is indeed a B.k. If you ever see the book "Aquarium Fishes of the World" by Dr.Axelrod you might be interested in the picture & description of P. myersi... Very similar fish. I suppose it's possible that it's the same fish in both cases. (perhaps a discrepency among ichthyologists) I'd still be interested to know if anyone's else has heard of P. myersi; and what the primary differences between the Pseudogastromyzon, Beaufortia, and Gastromyzon genus are?

[Gary Herring]

As others here will verify, ichthyological classification of the Balitoridae (hillstream loaches) family of fishes is pretty patchy and can lack clarity. In this case though, even though i have'nt seen the book you refer to, I'd bet that the fish in the picture IS actually a Beaufortia, and its been wrongly tagged as a P. Myersi. This kind of misnomer is a very common occurence in aquarium literature on this type of fish, both in books and on the net.

I have heard of P. Myersi, but have not kept them myself.
I keep Hillstreams from the Sewellia, Beaufortia, Gastromyzon and Pseudogastromyzon (Cheni) genuses, and in terms of basic care and requirements, there are'nt really any differences between them. They are all from very fast flowing rivers in S.E. Asia, and have evolved and adapted their form (presumably over Thousands and thousands of years) to suit these environments, hence their 'sucker belly' adaption of the fins which is used to cling to rocks in the white-water rapids of their habitats. This is why a high oxgen content and some currant are crucial requirements for keeping these fish in an aquarium. Their diets are also the pretty much the same.
There are differences in distribution of the different genuses, for instance Sewellia are endemic to Vietnam, Gastromyzon are endemic to Borneo, etc. Also of course, their are many and varied differences in physical appearance, shape and colours between the different genuses and species withen them.

Hope this helps,

Gary

[Jim Powers]

There has been some discussion that what we have been calling P. cheni is actually P. myersi. Hopefully, we will get some clarification of that as we did with the genus Gastromyzon not long ago.
Basically, it isn't that difficult to identify these fish by body shape once you get familiar with them.
Beaufortia tend to be more "dinner plate" shaped overall with a smallish head and mouth. Pseudogastromyzon tend to be more enlongated with a head in proportion to the body width. Gastromyzon tend to have light markings on dark backgrounds and a more tear drop shaped with a very broad head and wide mouth. These are generalizations, but can be very helpful in identifying these fish.

[Phydo_fish]

Thanks for the info guys. Very enlightening. (P. cheni is definitely not my fish, so if P. cheni=P. myersi, then the ID by Axelrod must be faulty) One thing's for sure, my little Beafortia has introduced me to a fascinating group of fishes that I had never encountered before. I foresee a dedicated hillstream tank in my future... Sadly, my local pet shop (the only one within a large rural area) has a very meager variety of fish. It was something of a fluke to see the "Butterfly Pleco" available. (Probably just as well, since they kept it in a tank full of assorted gouramis and 2-4 inch plecos at about 82 F) Has anyone out there had any luck with online fish buying? (stores, auctions,...)