Everything about Cobitidae totally explained
Loaches are mostly
scavengers and are omnivorous, usually not very picky about their food. They may eat aquatic
crustaceans,
insects and other small
invertebrates as well as scraps of organic
detritus. Many live in waters of generally poor quality and feed on
tubifex worms which are associated with those areas. Some have adapted to less-than-ideal water conditions by being able to gulp up
atmospheric oxygen from the air. Loach species are distributed through
Europe,
Asia, and in
Morocco. They mainly inhabit rapid-moving streams.
Because of their scavenging nature and their ability to adapt to many freshwater ecosystems, some loaches have been
introduced to waters in regions which they're not native to and may pose problems to local wildlife as an
invasive species.
Typical Features
The body forms of various loaches range from being
vermiform (
worm-shaped; long and thin) to
Fusiform (
spindle-shaped;
cylindrical and tapering toward the ends). Most loaches don't have true
scales. Like
catfishes, loaches have the sensory organs known as
barbels; usually 3-6 pairs of them. Some other characteristics of loaches are a small bottom-facing mouth suited to their scavenging
benthic lifestyle, an erectile
spine below the eye, and a single row of
pharyngeal (throat)
teeth.
See also
Spined Loach.
Economic Importance
Some loach species are popular as
food fish in
East Asian countries such as
Japan. They are of importance in the
fisheries or being raised in
aquaculture. Some species of loach may occasionally be caught for
bait.
Many of the more brightly-colored loach species are popular with
freshwater aquarists and are therefore of importance in the
aquarium trade. The more colorful tropical loaches that are kept as pets mainly come from
South Asia and
South-East Asia.
Loaches often encountered in aquarium trade
Horseface loach — Acantopsis choirorhynchus
Longnose loach — Acantopsis octoactinotos
Weather or Dojo loach — Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (although Misgurnus fossilis and Cobitis taenia are also referred to as weather loaches).
Kuhli loach — Pangio kuhlii
Clown loach — Chromobotia macracanthus
Yoyo or Pakistani loach — Botia almorhae
Zebra Loach — Botia striata
Cultural Note
Referenced by Shakespeare in Henry IV, part 1:
"Why, that'll allow us ne'er a jordan, and then we leak in your chimney; and your chamber-lie breeds fleas like a loach." (Act 2)
In the video game on the Nintendo 64, the largest fish you can catch is the "Hylian loach". Everytime you enter the fishing pond as an adult in Ocarina of Time, there's a 1 in 4 chance the loach will be present in the pond. The loach is also present in the fishing minigame in Nintendo Gamecube/Wii game .
The loach also appears in the NDS game Animal Crossing: Wild World. Its a small fish that sells for few bells.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Cobitidae'.
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