Loaches Online Forum

... you have a much better eye for schisturas than me, perhaps you can id the one below, even though the pic´s are bad...
They have a black dot in the front base of their dorsal fin.
thanks

Found the nice guys in a top shelf-tank of a lfs, and for weeks they have been there, not sold yet ...they seem to recognice me already, as they come out to check me, when I look for them.

I tried to identify them and closest I could guess was http://www.loaches.com/species-index/schistura-robertsi (or perhaps http://www.loaches.com/species-index/sc ... -unknown07)

I´m thinking of taking them home, as they appear rather peaceful (for schisturas), I keep watching them at the store - they never quarrel...they are about 2" some a bit more some less... but they are Schisturas - so I do worry about their territorial behaviour... hmmm... but they are so sweet, when they come to the front glass ...

The pictures are from an older cell-phone, but I post them, as the fish may be sold before I can drop by with a better camera...

found this here:

http://filaman.uni-kiel.de/summary/Spec ... ng=English

Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 11; Anal soft rays: 8. Processus dentiformis present; 8-10 regular bars on body; males have no suborbital flap; incomplete lateral line reaching at most origin of pelvic fin; lower lip with a black mark on each side of median interruption; 8-9 + 8 branched caudal rays; emarginate caudal fin; black basal caudal bar present; no axillary pelvic lobe; anus 1.5-2.0 eye diameters in front of anal fin

May I ask for some help explaining "suborbital flap" ... suborbital...

Thanx

Wolfram

sub-orbital = underneath the eye socket.

can't help any further, though, I'm afraid.

thank you Sophie,

now I know at least what area to look re suborbital differences

wishing a nice weekend

Wolfram

The absence of a suborbital flap in males are replaced with a suborbital groove in some species. Meaning no overlapping skin tissues underneath the eye socket.

Interesting looking chaps!

Wolfram, is the labelling underneath the tank referring to the species photographed? If so, are the store saying they were imported directly from Sri Lanka? As far as I know, Schistura notostigma are the only Schistura species found there. One of it's common names is Spotback Loach, which would fit with the black spot on the back. The patterning seems to be quite variable in this species - the picture on fishbase looks quite different to the one on the LOL species index, and more like the fish in your pics.

Emma

Hi Emma,

You hit the spot with the Spotback, thank you. I was not able to figure, even though was looking intensely...
In German some call it "orange spot" (that now even correlates with the stiker on the tank, except of possible bad spelling on the sticker). The dealer means, that this supplier typically calls accurate names...hmmm

Some net-sites (BWWS as an example) show a dark notostigma, ...I can´t figure, where the orange spot may be, neither a dark color...
I wonder, if there are 2 different kinds or changes when growing older...

What turned me off, some sites call them extremely territorial and partially agressive... hard to imagine when watching them as a peaceful bunch at the rather small tank the at lfs. I´m afraid that may change when they get into a tank with structure, allowing territories, than they have something to fight about...

I found pridii´s at an Internet site ... means I may be able to order those to a lfs... for now perhaps I wait a little, rather than having aggressive or too territorial guys in there... even though I was really intrigued by their temper...

Wolfram

If there is even the slimmest of chances of getting hold of S. pridii, I'd definitely wait for those if I were you!

Besides, loaches can behave differently in shop stock tanks, particularly those terrible ones who don't provide their loaches with shelter. The aggression level of those S. notostigma may well increase as they mature too.

Anyway, I'm glad we sorted out what they were.

Emma

Thanks again Emma,

... just checked that pricelist again for pridii, and it was not listed anymore
But they are offering species like Leptobotia guilinensis (which I´m not lookong for)... I´ll keep an eye on that store/wholesale

Wolfram