Grey-banded loach (Nemacheilus selangoricus)

Scientific name: Nemacheilus selangoricus Duncker, 1904

The Grey-banded loach (Nemacheilus selangoricus) is a freshwater fish of the family Balitoridae. In the aquarium it needs water at 23–25°C (73–77°F). Native range: Asia, Malay Peninsula from Trang in Thailand to Singapore, Sabah in North Borneo and Belitung Island and Indonesia.

Grey-banded loach care at a glance

Temperature
23–25°C (73–77°F)

Biology

Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Anal soft rays: 8; Vertebrae: 34 - 35. Presence of acuminate scales above and below lateral line on caudal peduncle. This characteristic is shared with N. spiniferus. Other diagnostic characters include: 8-12 very regular dark bars (vs. not very regularly shaped bars in N. spiniferus), 3-5 times wider than interspaces, the middle area of the bars being often lighter brown than the margin or as light as the background, the bar then being vertically split into two thin bars; dorsal length of head 18-22% SL (vs. 21-23%); process of acuminate scales shorter than (versus as long as) rest of scale, its base width about 1/4-1/3 of scale width (versus about 1/2).

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Nemacheilus selangoricus
Family
Balitoridae (River loaches)
Order
Cypriniformes (Carps)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
5.9
Environment
Freshwater;; pH range: 6.5 - 7.0; dH range: ? - 10 demersal
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Asia: Malay Peninsula from Trang in Thailand to Singapore, Sabah in North Borneo and Belitung Island and Indonesia
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Aquarium: commercial
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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