Vaillantella maassi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vaillantella maassi |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Vaillantella flavofasciata Tweedie, 1956 |
Vaillantella maassi, also known as the forktail loach, is a type of loach. It belongs to a small fish family called Vaillantellidae. This family only has one group (genus) of fish, and Vaillantella maassi is one of three species in it. The other two are Vaillantella cinnamomea and Vaillantella euepiptera. These fish live in Southeast Asia.
Contents
What Does the Forktail Loach Look Like?
The forktail loach is special because of its very long dorsal fin. This fin is on its back and has many thin bones called rays (59-73 of them!). It also has a deeply forked tail fin, called a caudal fin. The top part of its tail is extra long.
This specific loach has more rays in its anal fin than its close relatives. Its body is mostly brown. Female forktail loaches are usually a bit thicker than males.
Where Does the Forktail Loach Live?
Vaillantella maassi can be found in Southeast Asia. Its home ranges from Indonesia, in areas like Kalimantan and Sumatra. It also lives in the Malay Peninsula. You can find it as far north as the Tapi River area in southeastern Thailand.
Home and Habits of the Forktail Loach
The forktail loach likes to live in shallow parts of forest streams. These streams often start in peat bogs, which means the water can be dark, like "black water." However, they can also live in clear or cloudy water. The water might have different amounts of tannins, which come from plants and can stain the water.
Their favorite places are usually shaded by plants along the stream and by the forest trees above. The water in these streams often has very few minerals. It can also be quite acidic, sometimes as low as a pH of 3.0 or 4.0. This is because of the tannins and acids released when plants break down.
Forktail loaches prefer soft ground, like sand, mud, or peat. They often hide among piles of fallen leaves. The currents in these streams can get quite fast during the rainy season. This is especially true in streams that are higher up in the mountains.
If V. maassi lives in the same area as Vaillantella euepiptera, V. maassi tends to stay in the higher, more mountainous parts of the streams.
What Does the Forktail Loach Eat?
This loach is a hunter! It looks for insects, small crabs, and other tiny creatures in the mud or sand. It is also known to eat small fish and baby fish.
Forktail loaches are territorial, meaning they protect their own space. Their territory seems to be centered around a good hiding spot. We don't know much else about how these fish behave in the wild.
How the Forktail Loach Got Its Name
Vaillantella maassi was first described in 1912. It was named by two scientists: Max Carl Wilhelm Weber from Germany and the Netherlands, and Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort from the Netherlands.
The first fish they studied (called the type specimen) was found in central Sumatra. The name of the fish group, Vaillantella, honors a French fish expert named Léon Vaillant. He was very interested in fish from the East Indies. The "ella" part of the name is a small, affectionate ending.
The specific name, maassi, honors a German scientist named Alfred Maass. He led the trip to Sumatra where the first forktail loach was found.
