HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Java loach (''Pangio oblonga'') is a species of tropical freshwater fish, an unbanded kuhli
loach Loaches are fish of the superfamily Cobitoidea. They are freshwater, benthic (bottom-dwelling) fish found in rivers and creeks throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Loaches are among the most diverse groups of fish; the 1249 known species ...
, native to the sandy streams of Southeast
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
. Its alternative common names include the black kuhli (loach), chocolate kuhli and cinnamon loach. It is common in the aquarium trade.


Description and behavior

The java loach, like its fellow ''
Pangio ''Pangio'' is a genus of small Asian freshwater fish in the true loach family Cobitidae. In earlier taxonomic schemes it was known as ''Acanthophthalmus''. The " kuhli loach" is well-known in the aquarium trade and commonly identified as ''P. k ...
'' species, has a long eel-like body with small
eyes Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and c ...
set high in the
skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, t ...
. Its rayed
dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...
is set far back on the
dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...
side, halfway between the
tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals ...
and middle of the fish. The tail ends with a flat edge and may be slightly forked in the middle. Due to the large range of the java loach, coloration varies between populations. Individuals carry a solid color of red-brown to chocolate brown to near black on their dorsal side, while the
ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...
side is pale by contrast. Java loaches grow to 3 inches (8 cm) and readily scavenge bits of food from soft substrate. They will accept flake food in aquaria but prefer a meaty diet of ''Mysis'' shrimp,
brine shrimp ''Artemia'' is a genus of aquatic crustaceans also known as brine shrimp. It is the only genus in the family Artemiidae. The first historical record of the existence of ''Artemia'' dates back to the first half of the 10th century AD from Urmia L ...
, bloodworms, etc. They are a social species best kept in large groups of five or more. The species darts into the substrate when it feels threatened. Sexual dimorphism is not readily apparent, although females carrying eggs will appear fatter. Like many other loach species, they are known to not breed often in captivity without certain hormones. There is a recording of breeding this species in home aquaria, however.


Distribution

*The Mekong River basin of Laos,
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
,
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
and
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
*Chao Phraya River Basin and Nan River, Thailand *Seroke Stream and Darjiling River,
India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
*Dangtong River, Cambodia *Sungai Pinoh River,
Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java Isl ...
and Thailand *Brang and Tersat Rivers,
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
*Mandalay and Tenasserim Divisions,
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
(
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
)


Habitat

''P. oblonga'', like most loaches, lives in streambeds. In the wild and in optimal aquarium conditions, the water pH is from 6.2 to 7.0 and the temperature ranges from 76° to 82 °F, or 24° to 28 °C.


See also

*
Kuhli loach The kuhli loach (''Pangio kuhlii'') is a small eel-like freshwater fish belonging to the loach family (Cobitidae). They originate from Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula. This snake-like creature is very slender and nocturnal. In an aquarium, th ...
Comparable striped species.


References


Pangio oblonga
Loaches Online. *


External links


Black Kuhli Loach Fact Sheet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3755352 Pangio Fish described in 1846