Balitora brucei Gray, 1830
Gray's stone loach
photo by Panitvong, N.

Family:  Balitoridae (River loaches)
Max. size:  10.5 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater
Distribution:  Asia: India, Bhutan and Bangladesh (Ref. 4832), Nepal (Ref. 12045) and Myanmar (Ref. 57739).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-11; Anal soft rays: 6-8. Distinguished from other species by the combination of the following characters: head length 19-22% SL; caudal peduncle 3.0-4.2 times longer than deep; head width at nares 14.9-17.1% SL, 77-87% HL, maximum head width 86-105% HL; interorbital width 41-49% HL; length of caudal peduncle 16.7-21.4% SL; preanal length 72.0-78.6% SL (Ref. 37826).
Biology:  Occurs in torrential hill streams. Prefers backwater and quiet eddies (Ref. 12045).
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT); Date assessed: 19 April 2010 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.