''Acantopsis dialuzona'' is a

loach Loaches are ray-finned fishes of the suborder Cobitoidei. They are freshwater, benthic (bottom-dwelling) fish found in rivers and creeks throughout Eurasia and North Africa, northern Africa. Loaches are among the most diverse groups of fish; the ...

native to the swift, clear streams and rivers of mainland and archipelagic

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, but Southeast Asia outside its range, including as Acantopsis. ''A. choirorhynchos'' because of the lack of taxonomic resolution in Acantopsis. It can also be found in flooded fields. The horseface loach or horsehead loach, formerly known as ''Acantopsis choirorhynchos'', is now recognized as belonging to this species.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.''

Taxonomy

Under

Maurice Kottelat Maurice Kottelat (born 16 July 1957 in Delémont, SwitzerlandC ...

's review and revision of the loaches in 2012, this species name is considered to be a

junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

of ''A. dialuzona''.

In aquaria

A very similar species is the unofficially named longnose loach, '' Acantopsis octoactinotos'', from which the horseface can be distinguished by the latter's down-turned (horse-like) nose. Additionally, the horseface loach buries itself in the bottom substratum (if silt or fine sand); the longnose loach does not. The horseface loach is fast moving; the longnose is rather slow. However, the longnose is more aggressive, regularly feeding on juvenile fishes. The horseface loach's native

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...

is one of sand or gravel, wherein it will characteristically burrow itself. These loaches spend much of their time buried in the substrate, leaving only their eyes uncovered. Due to this incessant burrowing, any live plants should be potted to avoid uprooting. The use of floating plants is recommended, as these loaches prefer subdued lighting. Horseface loaches are not picky eaters, but live food (such as

tubifex ''Tubifex'' is a cosmopolitan genus of tubificid annelids that inhabits the sediments of lakes, rivers and occasionally sewer lines. At least 13 species of ''Tubifex'' have been identified, with the exact number not certain, as the species a ...

) is relished. The horseface loach is most active at night and mostly keeps to itself. It attains a maximum size of in length, but is considered mature from . , it had not been bred in captivity. It was first imported into

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

in 1929 by Edmund Riechers of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Local names

* Laotian: ອິດ * .

References

Bibliography

* Baensch, Hans A., and Riehl, Rudiger. (1997). ''Baensch Aquarium Atlas'', Vol. 1. (6th ed.), p. 366. Microcosm Ltd.; Shelburne, Vermont. * *

External links

Oijen, M.J.P. van & G.M.P. Loots, An illustrated translation of Bleeker's Fishes of the Indian Archipelago Part II Cyprini; Zoologische Mededelingen, 86 (May 2012)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1501220 dialuzona Fish of the Mekong Basin Fish of Myanmar Fish of Cambodia Freshwater fish of India Freshwater fish of Indonesia Fish of Laos Freshwater fish of Malaysia Fish of Thailand Fish of Vietnam Freshwater fish of Asia Fish of Southeast Asia Fish described in 1823 Brackish water organisms Taxa named by Johan Conrad van Hasselt