Leptobotia elongata
| Leptobotia elongata | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Botiidae[2] |
| Genus: | Leptobotia |
| Species: | L. elongata |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptobotia elongata (Bleeker, 1870) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Botia elongata | |
Leptobotia elongata, the imperial flower loach, elongate loach or royal clown loach, is a species of botiid fish found in flowing water in the upper and middle Yangtze basin in China.[1][3][4] It is the largest species in the family, reaching up to 50 cm (1.6 ft) in length and 3 kg (6.6 lb) in weight.[5][6] Formerly common, the numbers of this vulnerable species have declined because of overfishing, dams (limiting its breeding migration), habitat loss and pollution.[1] A stocking project has been in place since 2010.[6] It is sometimes kept in aquariums, but require a very large tank.[3][4]
Adults migrate upstream to spawn between March to May.[5] They have been recorded feeding on fish, shrimp, gammarids, benthic invertebrates, aquatic insect larvae, mollusks, plankton and phytodetritus.[6] The feeding preference depends on size: Individuals less than 11 cm (4.3 in) long mainly take benthic invertebrates and aquatic insect larvae, while larger individuals mainly feed on fish and shrimp.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 Huckstorf, V. (2013). "Leptobotia elongata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2017.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ↑ Kottelat, M. (2012). Conspectus cobitidum: an inventory of the loaches of the world (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cobitoidei). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Suppl. No. 26: 1-199.
- 1 2 SeriouslyFish: Leptobotia elongata. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- 1 2 Loaches Online: Leptobotia elongata. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2017). "Leptobotia elongata" in FishBase. March 2017 version.
- 1 2 3 4 Li, L.; Q. Wei Wei; J. Ming Wu; H. Zhang; Y. Liu; & X. Xie (2015). Diet of Leptobotia elongata revealed by stomach content analysis and inferred from stable isotope signatures. Environ Biol Fish 98: 1965–1978. DOI:10.1007/s10641-015-0414-4.