Leptobotia elongata, the imperial flower loach, elongate loach or royal clown loach, is a species of botiid fish found in flowing water in the upper and middle Yangtze basin in China.[1][2][3] It is the largest species in the family, reaching up to 50 cm (1.6 ft) in length and 3 kg (6.6 lb) in weight.[4][5] Formerly common, the numbers of this vulnerable species have declined because of overfishing, dams (limiting its breeding migration), habitat loss and pollution.[1] The species is bred in captivity and a stocking project has been in place since 2010.[5][6] It is sometimes kept in aquariums, but require a very large tank.[2][3]
| Leptobotia elongata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Botiidae |
| Genus: | Leptobotia |
| Species: | L. elongata
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| Binomial name | |
| Leptobotia elongata (Bleeker, 1870)
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| Synonyms | |
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Adults migrate upstream to spawn between March and May.[4] They have been recorded feeding on fish, shrimp, gammarids, benthic invertebrates, aquatic insect larvae, mollusks, plankton and phytodetritus.[5] The feeding preference depends on size: Individuals less than 11 cm (4.3 in) long mainly take benthic invertebrates and aquatic insect larvae, while larger individuals mainly feed on fish and shrimp.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c Huckstorf, V. (2013). "Leptobotia elongata". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013. IUCN: e.T166035A1107235. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T166035A1107235.en. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ a b SeriouslyFish: Leptobotia elongata. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ a b Loaches Online: Leptobotia elongata. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Leptobotia elongata". FishBase. March 2017 version.
- ^ a b c d 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. doi:10.1007/s10641-015-0414-4.
- ^ 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. doi:10.1007/s10641-016-0509-6.