Revision of the horseface loaches (Cobitidae, Acantopsis), with descriptions of three new species from Southeast Asia

[lfinley58]

Hi all.
I am sure that there are some loach lovers frequenting PC, so the following should be of interest to certain parties. It is one of those rare open access papers for the journal Zootaxa (very few of their catfish papers are so offered) so for loach lovers (or likers) have a ball. Lee F.

Revision of the horseface loaches (Cobitidae, Acantopsis), with descriptions of three new species from Southeast Asia (2017) by DAVID A. BOYD, PATCHARA NITHIROJPAKDEE, GRIDSADA DEEIN, CHAVALIT VIDTHAYANON, CHAIWUT GRUDPAN, WEERAPONGSE TANGJITJAROEN, JOHN M. PFEIFFER, ZACHARY S. RANDALL, TIPPAMAS SRISOMBAT, LAWRENCE M. PAGE. Zootaxa, Volume 4341, Number 2:151-192.
Abstract:
Acantopsis (Cobitidae) is revised based on analysis of morphological and molecular data. Four of the six available names, A. dialuzona, A. spectabilis, A. octoactinotos, and A. thiemmedhi, are valid, and three new species, A. rungthipae, A. dinema, and A. ioa, are described. All species are described morphologically, distributions are mapped, and relationships are discussed for those for which molecular data (CO1, RAG1) are available. Labial barbels, color pattern, and meristic counts are the most diagnostic features. Although the long snout of Acantopsis is perhaps the most emblematic attribute of the genus, its relative length increases with growth, reducing its taxonomic value. Species can be difficult to identify on the basis of color pattern alone, as habitat and preservation methods appear to strongly influence the color pattern. Despite interspecific overlap of some highly variable traits, each species has a unique set of morphological characteristics that remain observable even when the color pattern is obscured, and some species are restricted to single drainages, greatly simplifying identification. The phylogenetic analyses revealed high molecular divergence between even the most morphologically similar species, with mean uncorrected CO1 p-distances between species ranging from 12.1-15.4%. Species of Acantopsis exhibit significant genetic structuring consistent with recognized freshwater ecoregions. Acanthopsis lachnostoma Rutter 1897, from Swatow, China, is not assignable to Acantopsis.
Full access at:
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/vie ... a.4341.2.1

[Bas Pels]

Thank you!!

[lfinley58]

Hi - My pleasure. Horsefaces have always been my favorite loach! When I had my store I always tried to have them in stock. I think that I may actually have to go out shortly and get some to swim (kind of) around in a tank.

Lee

[Bas Pels]

Actually I was thinking something along a similar line. I´ve had them two times, the first was for a few years, the second time lasted less than a day. I got them in the afternoon, and the next morning they all had passed away. Point was, the tank appeared to be too rich in nitrates, most likely due to the cichlids in the tank. I´ve never had them again.

I do have, however, a nice 177 cm * 45 cm footprint tank with a sand floor

[TwoTankAmin]

Loach lover here. to some extent. They are long lived fish for sure. I have never kept horseface, but I have kept yoyos which I had to let go because they harassed my angels. However, I have a couple of clowns in my group which I got in late 2002/or early 2003. They are quite large. They are also just as entertaining at that size/age as when they were a whole lot smaller.

I also have a group of sidthimunkis some of which I have had almost as long as the clowns.

I would have kept a lot of other loach species if not for the nasty pleco addiction I acquired years ago

[Bas Pels]

Contrarily to you, I´m rather insensitive to any pleco addiction: they miss the whiskers