Acantopsis

Pferdekopfschmerle

The fish of the genus Acantopsis belong to the family of loaches ( Cobitidae ) and living in Southeast Asia. They live both in freshwater and in brackish water of various fast flowing rivers and streams in Southeast Asia. There they colonize the soil region of slightly different habitats. In some cases they are also found in flooded rice fields of the region.

These fish feed on mosquito larvae, nematodes, small insect larvae and algae. In captivity, they also eat frozen food, tablet food and rummaging through the ground after algae and fressbaren others.

Features

The body of the loaches are eel-like, long and narrow. The under constant foot is equipped with barbels. Most species are grayish colored (depending on breed also beige). The head is narrow and mostly looks out after digging out of the sand or gravel. The Pferdekopfschmerle and Rüsselschmerle be distinguished by their head shape.

Species

• Pferdekopfschmerle (A. dialuzona ) Van Hasselt, 1823
• Rüsselschmerle (A. octoactinotos ) Siebert, 1991
• Acantopsis arenae (Lin, 1934)
• Acantopsis choirorhynchos ( Bleeker, 1854)
• Acantopsis guttatus Nguyen, 2005
• Acantopsis multistigmatus Vishwanath & Laisram, 2005
• Acantopsis thiemmedhi Sontirat, 1999