The Borneo Suckers: Revision of the Torrent Loaches of Borneo (Balitoridae: Gastromyzon, Neogastromyzon)
The Borneo Suckers is about the taxonomy of the genera Gastromyzon, Neogastromyzon and Hypergastromyzon - all of them endemic to Borneo. 15 new species of Gastromyzon and four new species of Neogastromyzon are described herein.
Malaysia 2009 - Sabah, Borneo
In June 2009 we went to the northern part of Borneo, to Sabah, investigating hillstreams. Sabah is a balitorid paradise.
Our target species were Gastromyzon extrorsus and G. auronigrus. We found the former one. Read the updated article of this collecting trip featuring latest IDs.
ME, 2010-07-06
USA 2010 excursion - Northern Georgia
Northern Georgian waters are well known for their appealing darters, Etheostoma spp., and small sized, fantastically colored cyprinids, such as Notropis and Cyprinella spp. Besides, there are dozens of interesting crayfishes occurring in the riverine environment of Northern Georgia.
I could catch the target fish in a deeply hidden forest stream: Notropis chrosomus (Jordan, 1877).
ME, 2010-06-30
in preparation !!!
Yunnan 2010 excursion - Mekong, Red River
We caught plenty of nemacheilid loaches and cyprinids mainly the Mekong basin. It was rainy season and we hardly found non-turbid waters. Although all water level marked up very high we were able to collect a tremendous number of specimen.
ME, 2010-6-29
in preparation !!!
Yunnan 2009 excursion - Red River, Mekong
We are just back from our Yunnan trip to the Red River and Mekong basins. Our efforts yielded extremely rich; we could catch Sinogastromyzon, Vanmanenia, Beaufortia, Pseudecheneis, Hemibarbus, Garra, Danio, Opsarius, plenty of Schistura spp.
We brought back an enormous quantity of material; some specimens we could bring back alive in order to study their fantastic behaviour.
ME, 2010-01-11
latest species facts sheets
A new species of the genus Triplophysa (Nemacheilinae: Balitoridae), Triplophysa jianchuanensis sp. nov., from Yunnan, China
.
Triplophysa jianchuanensis Zheng, Du, Chen & Yang, 2010 sp. nov.
Upper Mekong basin, Yunnan, China
ME, 2010-06-30
Acheilognathus striatus (Family: Cyprinidae), a new bitterling species from the lower Yangtze River, China
Acheilognathus striatus Yang, Xiong, Tang & Liu, 2010 sp. nov.
Lower Yangtze River, China
ME, 2010-05-03
Homatula pycnolepis, a new species of nemacheiline loach from the upper Mekong drainage, South China (Teleostei: Balitoridae) from Yunnan, China
Homatula pycnolepis Hu & Zhang, 2010 sp. nov.
Upper Mekong basin, Yunnan, China
ME, 2010-04-07
Paracobitis nanpanjiangensis, a new loach (Balitoridae: Nemacheilinae) from Yunnan, China
Paracobitis nanpanjiangensis Min, Chen & Yang, 2010 sp. nov.
Upper Pearl River basin, Yunnan, China
ME, 2010-03-13
Two new species and a new record of the genus Sinogastromyzon (Teleostei: Balitoridae) from Yunnan, China.
Sinogastromyzon lixianjiangensis Liu, Chen & Yang, 2009, sp. nov.
Red River basin, Yunnan Province, China
Sinogastromyzon macrostoma Liu, Chen & Yang, 2009, sp. nov.
Red River basin, Yunnan Province, China
Read related online news at http://en.kunming.cn
Read the China Science and Technology Newsletter online
ME, 2010-01-27
Onychostoma virgulatum, a new species of cyprinid fish (Pisces: Teleostei) from southern Anhui Province, South China
Onychostoma virgulatum Qiang, Zhang & Cao, 2009, sp. nov.
Lower Yangtze basin, Anhui Province, China
ME, 2009-12-18
A new species of sisorid catfish genus Glyptothorax (Teleostei: Sisoridae) from Salween drainage of Yunnan, China
Glyptothorax obliquimaculatus Jiang, Chen & Yang, 2009, sp. nov.
Upper Salween basin, Yunnan Province, China
ME, 2009-12-18
A new species of genus Pseudogyrinocheilus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Guangxi, China
Pseudogyrinocheilus longisulcus Zheng, Chen & Yang, 2009, sp. nov.
Pearl River basin, Guangxi Province, China
ME, 2009-12-18
The taxonomy and phylogeny of the cyprinid genus Opsariichthys Bleeker (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Taiwan, with description of a new species
Opsariichthys kaopingensis Chen & Wu, 2009, sp. nov.
Southern basins, Taiwan
ME, 2009-10-18
A new species of the genus Beaufortia from Yunnan province, China (Cypriniformes, Homalopteridae)
Beaufortia niulanensis Chen, Huang & Yang, 2009, sp. nov.
Yangtze basin, Yunnan Province, China
ME, 2009-09-25
A New Species of the Genus Garra from Nujiang River Basin, Yunnan, China (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)
Garra nujiangensis Chen & Yang, 2009, sp. nov.
Upper Salween basin, Yunnan Province, China
ME, 2009-08-25
New Physoschistura sp. in Yunnan, Red River basin, discovered
We collected a not yet described species of the genus Physoschistura in the Mengyejiang River, Yunnan, China.
With the description of this new species the number of taxa in Physoschistura will reach eight, the number of Physoschistura spp. occurring in Chinese waters should be three.
ME, 2010-07-09
Three Gorges affects Acipenser sinensis population
Experts say that there are no more than 1000 fishes left in the Yangtze River, only half of them able to reproduce. The dwindling number of rare Chinese sturgeon is mainly caused by habitat destruction and environmental degradation due to pollution. If there are no appropriate protective measures applied Acipenser sinensis will go extinct within the next 50 years.
In order to support the population China has established two large breeding centers in Hubei province which produced almost 6 millions fingerlings between 1983 and 1988 that had been released into the Yangtze River.
Read an China daily online article how a new threat, the mighty Three Gorges Dam, affects the well being of the remaining fishes.
ME, 2010-06-30
Channa gachua (Hamilton, 1822) - Facts sheet online
This common snakehead species is widely spread all over the southern Chinese provinces. We have collected it during our stay at the Mengyejiang River, Yunnan Province, China.
ME, 2010-05-12
Glyptothorax interspinalum (Mai, 1978) - Facts sheet online
This sisorid catfish is hardly known and have probably not been exported nor kept by aquarists. It is easy to maintain in aquaria though, but is not an eyecatcher. We caught this species in Mengeyejiang River, Yunnan Province, China.
ME, 2010-05-10
Glyptothorax quadriocellatus (Mai, 1978) - Facts sheet online
This sucker catfish lives in well oxygenated streams with rocky bottom substrate within the Red River basin of Yunnan Province, China and northern Vietnam. We caught it in EW-CN 66-09, which is the Mengyejiang River, Yunnan Province, China
ME, 2010-05-07
Pseudecheneis paviei Vaillant, 1892 - Facts sheet online
This sisorid catfish can be encountered in the riffles of streams with swift current and well oxygenated water within the Red River basin. We have found them in a tributary to Lixianjiang River, southern Yunnan Province, China.
ME, 2010-05-06
Vanmanenia tetraloba (Mai, 1978) - Facts sheet online
This balitorid occurs in tributaries of the Lixianjiang River, a sub-basin of the 
upper Red River basin, Yunnan Province, China. It populates fast running sections of streams over gravel and rock substratum. There was a healthy population in Mengyejiang River, a right hand tributary of Lixianjiang River.
ME, 2010-03-20
Schistura laterivittata (Zhu & Wang, 1985) - Facts sheet online
This nemacheilid from the Red River basin has been misidentified as S. caudofurca 
since 2001 (Kottelat, 2001b). In fact, it is much distinct from S. caudofurca. We could catch plenty of them in Mengyejiang River, Yunnan, China.
ME, 2010-03-06
Schistura callichromus (Zhu & Wang, 1985) - Facts sheet online
As plenty of Chinese nemacheilids Schistura callichromus is virtually unknown to 
Western hobbyists. It inhabits riffle sections of the upper Red River basin featuring fast flowing water over rock substratum. We observed them in the Mengyejiang River, Yunnan Province, China, just some 15 km north of the borderline with Laos.
ME, 2010-02-21
Schistura kloeztliae Kottelat, 2000 - Facts sheet online
This nemacheilid loach is an absolute riffle specialist. It exclusively inhabits the 
interspaces of rock and boulders in riffles featuring fast flowing water. The maximum water depth we could observe them is 20 cm. Stagnant areas are avoided due to its high demand of dissolved oxygenium. The loaches’ morphology shows some adaptations to this extreme environment.
ME, 2010-01-27
Sinogastromyzon tonkinensis Pellegrin & Chevey, 1935
Facts sheet online
This species is widely spread in the Red River basin in Yunnan Province, China. It 
requires well oxygenated water inhabiting riffles in clear streams with swift current and can be considered as a water quality indicator.
ME, 2010-01-23
Nemacheilus elegantissimus Chin & Samat, 1992 - Facts sheet online
This small sized nemacheilid is endemic to Sabah and is found in the upper reaches 
featuring clear water running with slow to moderate current over a pebble substratum in the Labuk, Kinabatangan and Segama River basins, East Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia.
ME, 2009-12-20
Shots posted of latest trip to Guangxi Province by Zhou Hang
Zhou Hang posted several interesting pictures of aquatic animals at insect-fans
.com. All shots have been taken during a trip into the boonies of Chinese Guangxi Province close to the Vietnamese border. Among the fishes caught there are some undescribed Rhinogobius spp. (Gobiidae) and Beaufortia sp. (Balitoridae).
ME, 2009-12-20
Opsariichthys hainanensis Nichols & Pope, 1927 - Facts sheet online
The Opsariichthys form of Hainan have been recognized as O. bidens since its original description in 1927. Finally, Chen et al. (2008) unveiled clear evidences that the taxon is distinct from O. bidens and revalidated it. It inhabits clean, riverine environments with gravel to rocky substratum on Hainan Island.
ME, 2009-10-24
Mexico 2009 - Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz
My trip to Mexico in February 2009 was a successful excursion in terms of number of fish caught. A couple of them I have never spotted before. Laguna de Catemaco was the most thrilling spot.
ME, 2009-07-11
New species fact sheet: Poecilia butleri Jordan, 1889
Poecilia butleri occurs in freshwater streams and brack water channels on the Pacific slope from Mexico to Panama. The herbivorous poeciliid could be observed in Chiapas, Mexico.
ME, 2009-03-15
New species fact sheet: Profundulus labialis (Günther, 1866)
The genus Profundulus is placed in the family Profundulidae. Read some details about the ecology of Profundukus labialis from a highland pool in Chiapas, Mexico.
ME, 2009-03-14
Three new species fact sheets online now
Cynolebias gilbertoi Costa, 1998
Cynolebias gibbus Costa, 2001
Cynolebias attenuatus Costa, 2001
ME, 2009-03-08
New species fact sheet: Pseudorasbora elongata Wu, 1939
ME, 2009-01-09
New article online: An open-air fish market in Qingdao City
ME, 2009-01-07
Brazil 2008 - Rio São Francisco
This time I really found for what I was after; annual killifishes. The highlight constituted the discovery of the rio Corrente population of Simpsonichthys adornatus which is in fact new to the hobby.
ME, 2008-07-12
Rhodeus suigensis - a small sized bitterling
Rhodeus suigensis is a cute bitterling originating from freshwater pools in Japan, 
the Korean peninsula and East China. Males show appealing coloration; light red lipstick and a dark grey to black abdomen.
ME, 2008-06-08
Beaufortia sp. Xiajia - a new flat loach
Undescribed Beaufortia discovered in Guangxi Province, southeastern China. On our trip to Chinese Guangxi 
Province in October 2007 we could catch a yet undescribed species of the genus Beaufortia. The biotope is a mountain torrent belonging to the You River (有江) basin. It differs from all other congeners by a distinctive color pattern. The initial description is in preparation.
ME, 2008-05-10
