Cobitidae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Osteichthyes
Classis: Actinopterygii
Subclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Superordo: Ostariophysi
Ordo: Cypriniformes
Subordo: Cobitoidea
Familia: Cobitidae
Genera: Acanthopsoides – Acanthophthalmus – Acantopsis – Aperioptus – Bibarba – Canthophrys – Cobitis – Enobarbichthys – Iksookimia – Koreocobitis – Kottelatlimia – Lepidocephalichthys – Lepidocephalus – Microcobitis – Misgurnus – Neoeucirrhichthys – Niwaella – Pangio – Paralepidocephalus – Paramisgurnus – Protocobitis – Quintabarbates – Sabanejewia – Somileptes – Theriodes
Name

Cobitidae Swainson, 1838

Type genus: Cobitis Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms

Cobitinae Bonaparte, 1832
Acanthopsides Heckel & Kner, 1858
Misgurninae Fowler, 1905

References

Bonaparte, C. L.; 1832: Iconografia delle fauna italica per le quattro classi degli animali vertebrati. Tomo III. Pesci. Roma. [Issued in puntate, without pagination; total of 556 pp., 78 pls.]
ICZN; 1988: Opinion 1500. Cobitis Linnaeus, 1758 (Osteichthyes, Cypriniformes): Cobitis taenia Linnaeus, 1758 designated as the type species, and the original spelling of the family-group name Cobitidae Swainson, 1839 confirmed. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, 45 (2): 178–179.
Kano, Y., Nakajima, J., Yamasaki, T., Kitamura, J-I. & Tabata, R. 2018. Photo images, 3D models and CT scanned data of loaches (Botiidae, Cobitidae and Nemacheilidae) of Japan. DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.6.e26265 Reference page.
Kottelat, M. 2012. Conspectus cobitidum: an inventory of the loaches of the world (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cobitoidei). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 26(Supplement 26): 1–199. Full article (PDF). Reference page.
Kottelat, M. 2020. Nomenclatural status and possible identity of Aperioptus pictorius (Teleostei: Gonorynchidae [?] and Cobitidae). Zootaxa 4763(2): 294–300. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4763.2.12 Paywall Reference page.
Page, L.M. & Tangjitjaroen, W. 2015: Aperioptus pictorius Richardson 1848 is a senior synonym of Acanthopsoides molobrion Siebert 1991, and Aperioptus is a senior synonym of Acanthopsoides Fowler 1934 (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae). Zootaxa 3962(1): 179–181. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3962.1.10. Preview (PDF) Full article (PDF) Reference page.
Steyskal, G. C.; 1980: The grammar of family-group names as exemplified by those of fishes. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 93 (1): 168–177.
Swainson, W.; 1838: The natural history of fishes, amphibians & reptiles, or monocardian animals. Vol. 1. Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans, London. vi+368 pp.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Schmerlen
English: Loaches
eesti: Hinklased
magyar: Csíkfélék
日本語: ドジョウ科
한국어: 미꾸리과
lietuvių: Vijūninės
Nederlands: Modderkruipers
polski: Piskorzowate
русский: Вьюновые
ไทย: ปลาหมู, ปลารากกล้วย, ปลาปล้องอ้อย, ปลาสายทอง, ปลาอีด
українська: В'юнові

Cobitidae, also known as the true loaches, is a family of Old World freshwater fish. They occur throughout Eurasia and in Morocco, and inhabit riverine ecosystems. Today, most "loaches" are placed in other families (see below). The family includes about 260 described species. New species are being described regularly.[2][3][4]
Description and ecology

The body forms of the Cobitidae tend to be vermiform – worm-shaped, long and thin. Most true loaches do not have true scales, and like many other Cypriniformes or catfishes, they have barbels at their mouths (usually three to six pairs). Some other traits typically found in this family are a small bottom-facing mouth suited to their scavenging benthic lifestyle, an erectile spine below the eye, and a single row of pharyngeal (throat) teeth.

True loaches are mostly scavengers and are omnivorous, usually not very picky about their food. They may eat aquatic crustaceans, insects, and other small invertebrates, as well as scraps of organic detritus. Many live in eutrophic waters of generally poor quality and feed on tubifex worms and similar benthos associated with such habitat. Some of these loaches have adapted to low oxygen levels in warm, muddy rivers or dirty ponds by being able to gulp up atmospheric oxygen. Some species, particularly from the genera Cobitis and especially Misgurnus, are sensitive to changing air pressure. They change their behavior accordingly, and as these changes in activity are usually followed by a change in weather, they are commonly known as "weather fishes" or "weather loaches".

Some Cobitidae have been introduced to foreign lands, where they may pose problems to local wildlife as invasive species.[5] Other true loaches, many of them migratory fish, have been seriously affected by habitat destruction, chemical pollution, and damming, and are considered threatened species today. Some migratory species are popular aquarium fish and since they are very hard to raise in captivity, overfishing has seriously depleted once-common stocks in several cases.
Systematics

The other "loaches" used to be included in this family, but nowadays are recognized as well-distinct members of the order Cypriniformes. Together with the suckers (Catostomidae), the "loaches" made up the superfamily Cobitoidea. However, the sucking loaches (Gyrinocheilidae) were easily recognizable as relatives of the suckers.[3]

Eventually, the hillstream loaches, though more similar to the true loaches than the other two presumed Cobitoidea, were recognized as distinct enough to be better regarded a family in their own right - Balitoridae. And as it seems the "sucking Cobitoidea" are quite distant indeed, perhaps even markedly closer to the Cyprinidae, thus the old superfamily Catostomoidea warrants revalidation. Finally, the puzzling mountain carps were most often considered the distinct family Psilorhynchidae in recent times. In a number of systematic schemes, though, they were placed in the Balitoridae (or Balitorinae, when these were included in the Cobitidae). In fact, they seem to be loach-like carps and belong in the Cyprinidae.[6]

In 2012, Maurice Kottelat reviewed the loaches and elevated the former subfamily Botiinae to its own family, Botiidae, and established the family Serpenticobitidae for the genus Serpenticobitis.[7]
Misgurnus fossilis
Canthophrys gongota
Use by humans

Some true loaches are popular as food fish in East Asian countries such as Japan. These are of importance in the fisheries or being raised in aquaculture. Small species may occasionally be caught for bait.
As aquarium fish
Pangio kuhlii

Many of the more brightly colored species are popular with freshwater aquarists, so are therefore of importance in the aquarium trade. Some Cobitidae often encountered in aquarium trade include:

Dojo loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
Horseface loach, Acantopsis choirorhynchus
Kuhli loach, Pangio kuhlii