Loaches From China

[Biulu]

I had a chance to go 'fishing' during my last mission in Hubei province, Central China and I found the following loaches. Does anybody know what they are?

I think it is a cobitis chinensis. What do you think?

I do not know what this one is. Anybody has a clue?

 

[Baccus]

Wow that first one is great, it's sort of like what you would expect from a Yo-yo loach and Khuli cross breeding (impossible I know), not really sure what it could be but it might be Cobitis granoie. The other much smaller loach could be a juvi or some other type of fish entirely, I can't see any evidence of barbels and the mouth seems all wrong for a loach.

 

[Biulu]

Cheers Baccus! the first one is definitively gorgeous and some people on other forums have confirmed it is a cobitis chinensis. It looks like the second one is a rhinogobius of some time...

 

[Baccus]

Cobitis chinensis in the pictures I have seen don't appear to have such defined markings, also C. chinensis seems to have a blunter nose, check out pictures of Cobitis granoie they look to be a closer match. Did you keep the fish or let them go agian? If you kept them and the second one is a juvi of something hopefully it will grow up and then it can be identified more easily. The double dorsal fin will help in identifiying it as that is an unusual configeration in most fish.

 

[Biulu]

No, I did not keep them; I was travelling around and there was no way of giving them suitable 'quarters' during my time there.

You could be right that it is granoie instead of sinensis (sorry, I keep writing chinensis!). Hard to tell though. In some pictures I think it is granoie and in others it looks more like the sinensis. I will do some more research.

A beautiful fish though and I might ask some colleagues to go fishing again and send them to me

 

[Baccus]

Looking again at the picture of the second fish goby is the fish that springs to mind. I know Australia has some fresh water types, but I am not sure about other countries.

 

[Biulu]

Yes, the rhinogobius is a freshwater goby and they do occur in China.