Barred loach facts for kids
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Syncrossus beauforti, also known as the barred loach, chameleon loach, or chameleon botia, is a type of freshwater fish. It belongs to the loach family called Botiidae. You can find this fish in rivers and streams across mainland Southeast Asia.
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What Does the Barred Loach Look Like?
The barred loach, Syncrossus beauforti, looks a lot like another fish called Syncrossus berdmorei. However, you can tell them apart by counting the rays on their dorsal fin (the fin on their back). The barred loach has 11 to 14 dorsal fin rays, while S. berdmorei has 9 to 10.
Both types of fish have rows of small, dark spots along their bodies and heads. In the barred loach, these spots are a bit smaller. It also has 9 to 12 faint vertical bars on its body. As the fish gets older, these bars might fade away, leaving only the rows of dark spots.
The dorsal fin has a black edge and three rows of spots. The caudal fin (tail fin) has several vertical rows of spots. When these fish get excited, they can make clicking sounds! They can grow up to 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) long.
Where Do Barred Loaches Live?
Syncrossus beauforti lives in Southeast Asia. This fish was first found in a stream in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in southern Thailand. Later, it was also seen in Trang Province.
Today, we know it lives in the Salween River basin, which is on the border between Thailand and Myanmar. It also lives in the Chao Phraya River system in western and central Thailand. Some fish found in the Mekong River were once thought to be this species. However, they are now known to be two different species: S. yunnanensis and S. formosanus.
Barred Loach Habitat and Daily Life
Barred loaches usually live near the bottom of small and medium-sized rivers. They prefer streams that are clear and flow quickly. These streams often have a bottom made of stones or rocks. You might also find lots of wood debris and fallen leaves in their homes.
During the monsoon season, when there's a lot of rain, these fish might swim into flooded forests. They return to the rivers around November and December when the water levels drop. They like to dig burrows in the sand or under rocks.
What Do Barred Loaches Eat?
Barred loaches are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Most of their diet consists of insect larvae and small animals that live on the river bottom.
Social Behavior of Barred Loaches
Fish in the Syncrossus group are social creatures. They often live in groups and have a social order, like a pecking order. They perform special behaviors to figure out their place in the group.
These fish have sharp spines under their eyes. Normally, these spines are hidden in a skin pouch. But if the fish feels stressed or threatened, it can make these spines stand up. As mentioned before, they also make clicking sounds when excited, but scientists are still trying to figure out why they do this.
Barred Loaches and People
Sometimes, Syncrossus beauforti is sold in fish markets for people to eat. It is also a popular fish for home aquariums. However, these fish have not been successfully bred in captivity. This means that all the barred loaches sold for aquariums are caught from the wild. Catching too many of them for the pet trade is a big threat to this species.
Threats to Barred Loaches
Besides being caught for trade, barred loaches are also threatened by pollution in their rivers. Building dams on the rivers where they live is another problem. Dams can stop the fish from migrating to their spawning areas during floods. They can also cause more dirt and mud to build up in the water, which harms the fish's habitat.
Scientists believe the number of barred loaches is going down. However, the exact size of their population and how much it has decreased are not fully known.
