Irrawaddy Danio

About

Found in the Irrawaddy drainage of Yunnan, China, this small schooling fish, Devario apogon, is essentially unknown in the aquarium trade and had not been exported to hobbyists at the time most sources were written. In the wild it turns up across a range of habitats, large rivers, smaller tributaries, and even roadside ditches, over substrates ranging from bedrock and gravel to sand and mud, tolerating surprisingly variable water conditions. It is a small fish, topping out around two inches at most, and its markings are worth knowing if you ever encounter it: faint vertical bars on the front half of the body give way to a single wide horizontal stripe running along the rear flank to the base of the tail, and it lacks both barbels and a lateral line, which helps separate it from similar-looking relatives. Taxonomically it sits in an interesting spot. Kottelat flagged it alongside Devario chrysotaeniatus as a species of uncertain placement within the genus, possibly belonging to a distinct lineage. Behaviorally, nothing aggressive is expected, and like any social schooling fish it should be kept in groups of at least six. Its beginner-friendly care requirements make it a species worth watching for as the hobby catches up with its range.