Emperor Loach
| Emperor Loach | ||||||||||||
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Emperor Loach ( Botia udomritthiruji ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Botia udomritthiruji | ||||||||||||
| Ng , 2007 |
The Kaiser-Prachtschmerle ( Botia udomritthiruji ) is a Prachtschmerlenart that in the catchment area of the Great River Tenasserim in the region Tanintharyi occurs in southern Myanmar. The species was named after the collector of the type specimens Kamphol Udomritthiruj.
features
The emperor loach can reach a length of 11.5 cm and has a typical loach shape, i.e. an elongated, laterally flattened trunk, and a pointed snout with a lower mouth surrounded by barbels. The body height is 23.4 to 27.7% of the standard length , the height of the tail stem is 15.9 to 18.7% of the standard length.
The fish are light yellowish-brown, some also slightly copper-colored. On the sides of the body they show five dark, vertical bands that are lighter in the middle so that they appear as a double band. The first lies in the neck, the second between the neck and the base of the dorsal fin, the third below the dorsal fin, the fourth between the base of the dorsal fin and the caudal peduncle, and the fifth on the caudal peduncle. The spaces between the bands are just as wide as the bands. The head is patterned by two dark bands. One is in the shape of an inverted Y and branches below the eyes. The second runs in the middle of the head from the eye region to the tip of the snout. In specimens that have a body length of 8 to 10 cm, the edges of the transverse bands become wavy and some matt, dark, oval spots appear in the light spaces. The head drawing continues to expand. If the fish are larger than 10 cm, the side spots in the light zones become more noticeable and merge into a dark longitudinal band as they get older. The light areas between the dark headbands become diffuse, the borders between light and dark areas become irregular.
The dorsal fin has a dark area at the base that is a continuation of the third transverse ligament on the sides of the body. An irregular dark band, which in specimens larger than 10 cm can also consist of a series of irregular spots, lies immediately below the tip of the dorsal fin. The pectoral fins show two or three irregular dark bars in the upper area. The pelvic fins have a dark spot at their base, which can also be missing in specimens smaller than 8 cm. In specimens larger than 7 cm, the anal fin has a dark band just above its base and in some specimens larger than 10 cm has a dark spot just below the tip. The caudal fin shows two to four oblique dark bands on each lobe.
- Fin formula : dorsal 12, anal 8–9.
The emperor's loach can easily be distinguished from the other two species of loach in Myanmar by its color. In the zebra crossing loach ( B. histrionica ), the dark bands are narrower and the light zones in between are 1.5 to 2 times as wide. Adult specimens of this loach species show a completely irregular stripe pattern. The star loach ( B. kubotai ) shows yellow spots on a brownish base color. In addition, the emperor loach is higher back than the star loach (body height 23.4 to 27.7% of the SL vs. 19.7-24%) and has fewer fin rays in the dorsal fin (12 vs. 13-14).
Way of life
Botia udomritthiruji occurs in the Great Tenasserim River and its larger tributaries on sandy and gravelly soils.
literature
- Heok Hee Ng: Botia udomritthiruji , a new species of botiid loach from southern Myanmar (Teleostei: Botiidae) Zootaxa 1608: 41-49 October 2007, ISSN 1175-5326
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ng, (2007), page 44.
- ↑ Ng, (2007), page 42.
- ↑ a b Ng, (2007), page 43.
- ↑ Ng, (2007), page 47.
- ↑ Botia udomritthiruji in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: Vidthayanon, C., 2011. Accessed November 13, 2016th
Web links
- Botia udomritthiruji on Fishbase.org (English)