Unknown "lizard fish" type hillstream

[Jim Powers]

I have had this fish for about three years or so now and this is the first time I have been able to get a half way decent pic. It is VERY shy and has never grown more than about 1.25". It tends to hang out with the homaloptera yunnanensis behind a bubble wand only occasionally venturing out to hang on this rock.
It was the only fish that came in as a shipment of "homaloptera species".
Does anyone have any idea what this is?
Is this the same unknown fish you have Emma?

[Emma Turner]

Very similar, Jim, although mine is larger at about 2.25" TL. Just like yours, it's very shy so pics are difficult....

June 2006:


June 2007:




I can't even remember what this one came in with now, maybe its in the archives somewhere.

What do you think, Jim?

Emma

[Jim Powers]

I think that's the same species, Emma.
The pattern, yellow color of the base of the fins, and the head shape look the same to me.
Now what do you suppose they are?

[Emma Turner]

I wish I could remember what mine came in with for sure - I have a feeling it was with Annamia normani, which would make it Vietnamese. I'll have to have a search back through pics and LOL threads when I get a bit of time, to see if that's the case. If it did come in with the A. normani, there is no doubt it would be Vietnamese as they supply us direct (no wholesalers etc) and the only loaches they have on offer are indigenous.

Emma

[Emma Turner]

Hi Jim,

I was right! I checked back through a load of old stuff and this one did indeed come mixed in with a batch of Annamia normani imported directly from Vietnam.

According to Fishbase, these are the fishes listed under Balitoridae for Vietnam (excluding Nemacheilus, Oreonectes, and Schistura):

Annamia normani
Balitora langcangjiangensis
Beaufortia leveretti
Dienbienia namnuaensis
Hemimyzon ecdyonuroides
Hemimyzon papilio
Homaloptera indochinensis
Homaloptera crassicauda
Homaloptera multiloba
Homaloptera ventrosquamata
Liniparhomaloptera disparis disparis
Liniparhomaloptera monoloba
Pseudogastromyzon buas
Pseudogastromyzon daon
Pseudogastromyzon elongata
Pseudogastromyzon fasciatus
Pseudogastromyzon loos
Sewellia albisuera
Sewellia breviventralis
Sewellia elongata
Sewellia lineolata
Sewellia marmorata
Sewellia patella
Sewellia pterolineata
Sewellia speciosa
Sinogastromyzon chapaensis
Sinogastromyzon minutus
Sinogastromyzon rugocauda
Sinogastromyzon tonkinensis
Sinohomaloptera kwangsiensis
Vanmanenia tetraloba

There are a few there that we know this fish is not, but many more which we have little or no documentation of. I've looked in a couple of my fish books, including the Freshwater Fishes of Central Vietnam (Serov/Nezdoliy/Pavlov) and although I see Annamia normani, there is no sign of this unknown loach.

Here's another pic I found of him:


Emma

[Jim Powers]

Well, just looking at the list, I would think that it is most likely one of the Homaloptera species or the Balitora.

[Emma Turner]

I thought the description on Fishbase of the Balitora lancangjiangensis was interesting/promising: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/species ... jiangensis

Emma

[Emma Turner]

Although having just said that, I think my fist pic from June 2006 shows more than one pair of barbels.

[Jim Powers]

Hmmmmmmmm.
With the lack of pictures of many of these species, we may never know for sure.