Knowra Loach Loach A loach is a small freshwater fish in one of several families within the order Cypriniformes. Many species live near the bottom and have sensory barbels around the mouth.
Cypriniformes : An order of freshwater ray-finned fishes that includes carps, minnows, suckers, and loaches. Loaches belong to this diverse order, whose members share key anatomical traits.
Chemoreception : The detection of chemical stimuli by an organism. Barbels and other sensory structures help loaches locate food in murky or dark water.
Clown loach : A brightly colored Southeast Asian loach, Chromobotia macracanthus, popular in freshwater aquariums. It is among the best-known aquarium loaches, but grows large and needs social housing.
Yunnanilus brevis : A small loach species native to parts of Southeast Asia. Its diminutive size exemplifies the small-bodied end of loach diversity.
Catfish : A diverse order of mostly freshwater fishes commonly distinguished by mouth barbels and scaleless skin. Catfish also use barbels near the bottom, but belong to a different fish order.
Cobitidae : A family of mostly Eurasian freshwater fishes commonly called true loaches. This family contains many familiar loaches, including weather loaches and spined loaches.
Air breathing in fish : The use of atmospheric air as a supplementary or primary source of oxygen by fishes. Some loaches gulp air and tolerate oxygen-poor water, although ability varies among species.
Weather loach : A hardy East Asian loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, known for activity before changes in weather. Its behavior and tolerance of low oxygen have made it a familiar aquarium and pond fish.
Zebra loach : A striped loach species, Botia striata, native to the Western Ghats of India. This Indian species is recognizable for bold bands and faces conservation pressure from habitat loss.
Hagfish : Jawless marine fishes that produce copious slime and scavenge or prey on animal tissue. Their eel-like bodies can invite comparison with loaches, but hagfish are jawless marine vertebrates.
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