''Leptobotia elongata'', the imperial flower loach, elongate loach or royal clown loach, is a species of

botiid Botiidae is a family of cypriniform ray-finned fishes from South, Southeast, and East Asia. Until recently they were placed in the true loach family Cobitidae, until Maurice Kottelat revised the loaches and re-elevated this taxon to family rank i ...

fish found in flowing water in the upper and middle

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flow ...

basin in China.SeriouslyFish
Leptobotia elongata
Retrieved 10 March 2017.Loaches Online
Leptobotia elongata
Retrieved 10 March 2017. It is the largest species in the family, reaching up to in length and in weight.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. . Formerly common, the numbers of this

vulnerable Vulnerable may refer to: General * Vulnerability * Vulnerability (computing) * Vulnerable adult * Vulnerable species Music Albums * ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997 * ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003 * ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...

species have declined because of overfishing, dams (limiting its breeding migration), habitat loss and pollution. The species is bred in captivity and a

stocking Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transpare ...

project has been in place since 2010.Yang, K.; Zeng, R.; Gan, W.; Deng, L.; and Song, Z. (2016). Otolith fluorescent and thermal marking of elongate loach (Leptobotia elongata) at early life stages. Environ Biol Fish 99: 8–9. . It is sometimes kept in aquariums, but require a very large tank. Adults migrate upstream to spawn between March to May. They have been recorded feeding on fish, shrimp, gammarids,

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

invertebrates, aquatic insect larvae, mollusks,

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a cr ...

and phytodetritus. The feeding preference depends on size: Individuals less than long mainly take benthic invertebrates and aquatic insect larvae, while larger individuals mainly feed on fish and shrimp.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5891516 Botiidae Freshwater fish of China Fish described in 1870