Loktak Loach

About

The Loktak Loach (Lepidocephalichthys irrorata) is a small cobitid loach native to freshwater habitats in northeastern India and Bangladesh, a region that serves as one of the great centers of loach diversity in Asia. It's not a species you'll find at every fish store. It turns up occasionally as bycatch in shipments of other species rather than as a deliberately exported fish. Visually, it can be told apart from close relatives by a combination of features: large exposed scales on top of the head, a dorsal fin that starts behind the pelvic fin origin, an emarginate tail with dark reticulations, and elongated dark spots along the upper and lower edges of the caudal fin lobes. Like all members of the family Cobitidae, it carries concealed sub-ocular spines that spring outward when the fish is stressed. Worth knowing if you're netting it, since those spines can tangle badly in mesh. The genus is also capable of breathing air directly, a useful adaptation in low-oxygen environments. Despite the aggressive and territorial tags sometimes applied to this species, behavioral observations suggest it is generally peaceful with tankmates and actually does better in groups of four or more. Upper-column fish like gouramis or danios make good companions and help keep it from becoming overly shy. Breeding has not been documented in captivity.