Mottled loach (Acanthocobitis botia)

Scientific name: Acanthocobitis botia Hamilton, 1822

The Mottled loach (Acanthocobitis botia) is a freshwater fish of the family Balitoridae. In the aquarium it needs water at 24–26°C (75–79°F).

Mottled loach care at a glance

Temperature: 24–26°C (75–79°F)

Biology

Dorsal soft rays (total): 14-17; Anal soft rays: 8. Distinguished from its congeners by the absence of a suborbital flap in male, the flap being replaced by a suborbital groove; lateral line reaches at least to anus.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Acanthocobitis botia
Family: Balitoridae (River loaches)
Order: Cypriniformes (Carps)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 11.0
Environment: Freshwater;; pH range: ? - 7.2; dH range: ? - 25 demersal
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Asia: Indus basin in Pakistan to the Mae Khlong basin in Thailand through Ganges, Chindwin, Irrawaddy, Sitang and Salween basins. Recorded also from Yunnan, China.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: of no interest
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec = 100)

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026