The dwarf loach, ladderback loach, pygmy loach, chain loach or chain botia, (''Ambastaia sidthimunki'') is a
freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
fish belonging to the family
Botiidae. Formerly included in the genus ''
Yasuhikotakia
''Yasuhikotakia'' (Mekong loaches) is a genus of botiid loaches, many which are popular aquarium fish. It is named in honor of Japanese collector/researcher Dr. Yasuhiko Taki. This genus has been separated from the genus ''Botia'' in the paper b ...
'', it is frequently seen in the
aquarium
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
trade, the product of
captive breeding
Captive breeding, also known as captive propagation, is the process of plants or animals in controlled environments, such as wildlife reserves, zoos, botanic gardens, and other conservation facilities. It is sometimes employed to help species that ...
.
This
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
is
endemic to the
Mae Klong basin (including
Khwae Noi River) in Thailand, and the
Ataran River
Ataran River is a river of Burma (most of its course) and Thailand (the uppermost part). In Thailand, it is usually known as the Kasat River. It merges into the larger Gyaing River and Salween River near the city of Mawlamyine. A main tributary of ...
on the Thai-
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
border.
[SeriouslyFish: ]
Ambastaia sidthimunki.
' Retrieved 6 June 2014. Records from the
Mekong basin are misidentifications of the very similar and closely related ''
A. nigrolineata''.
[
]
Size and habitat
The dwarf loach can grow up to 6 cm (2.5 in) in length. It prefers water with temperature 25 - 30 °C (77 to 86 °F), pH 6.5 to 6.9 dGH
Degrees of general hardness (dGH or °GH) is a unit of water hardness, specifically of general hardness. General hardness is a measure of the concentration of divalent metal ions such as calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) per volume of water. S ...
to 8.0. It is omnivorous, with a diet including live crustaceans, insects, snails, etc.
The dwarf loach is found in the Mae Klong River and the Khwae Noi River in western Thailand. This species is endangered and is a protected species in Thailand. It was thought to be extinct in the wild until recently rediscovered in Sangkhla Buri. While they disappeared from the wild, it remained in the aquarium trade because of artificial breeding by private fish farms for over three decades.
The fish was discovered by Somphong Lekaree (สมพงษ์ เล็กอารีย์) and Damri Sukaram (ดำริ สุขอร่าม) in 1959. Lekaree was an aquarium fish exporter while Sukaram was a fisherman for aquarium trade.
The specific epithet of this fish honors Aree Sidthimunk ( th, อารีย์ สิทธิมังค์), a researcher at Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture.
Related species
The dwarf loach closely resembles '' Ambastaia nigrolineata'', another Thai protected species, especially when the fish is fully grown. The difference is easily seen when the fish is still small. Juveniles of ''A. sidthimunki'' have dotted patterns while ''A. nigrolineata'' have horizontal lines on them. Furthermore, the chain pattern of ''A. sidthimunki'' develops in fish at a smaller size.Loaches Online - Botia sidthimunkis vs Botia cf. nigrolineatas
(Archived 4 December 2004 at web.archive.org)
See also
*
List of freshwater aquarium fish species
A vast number of aquatic species have successfully adapted to live in the freshwater aquarium. This list gives some examples of the most common species found in home aquariums.
Catfish
Characins and other characiformes
...
References
*
*
*
Kittipong Jaruthanin Kittipong Jaruthanin ( th, กิตติพงษ์ จารุธาณินทร์ or spelt Kittipong Jarutanin; born 1958 in Din Daeng District, Bangkok) is a Thai nature explorer, collector, aquarist, aquarium trader and ichthyologist. ...
(story) and
Kamphol Udomritthiruj (photo), ตามรอย ... "หมูอารีย์" สัตว์สงวนแห่งสยาม (Following the trail of ... "Dwarf Loach" protected fauna of Siam), Fish Zone, Vol. 3 Issue 24 (15 May - 15 June 2002)
Loaches Online - Botia sidthimunki(Archived 8 March 2005 at web.archive.org)
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q28656882, from2=Q244314
Botiidae
Fish of Southeast Asia
Fish of Thailand
Taxa named by Wolfgang Klausewitz
Fish described in 1959
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN