Botiidae

Botiidae, the pointface loaches, is a family of cypriniform ray-finned fishes from South, Southeast, and East Asia. Until recently they were placed in the true loach family Cobitidae, until Maurice Kottelat revised the loaches and re-elevated this taxon to family rank in 2012.^[2] The family includes about 56 species.

Phylum:Chordata

Class:Actinopterygii

Order:Cypriniformes

Superfamily:Cobitoidei

Quick facts Scientific classification, Genera ...

Botiidae
Tiger loach Syncrossus berdmorei
Zebra loach (Botia striata) with the fusiform shape typical of Botiidae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Superfamily:	Cobitoidei
Family:	Botiidae L. S. Berg, 1940[1]
Genera
see text

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The Botiids are more robust than most of their relatives in Cobitidae and tend to have a more or less arched back, yielding an altogether more fusiform shape. Botiids typically have a pointed snout of intermediate length, while many cobitids are remarkably stub-nosed.

Botiids are generally fairly small, with maximum lengths between 6 and 30 cm (2.4 and 11.8 in) depending on the species involved, although Leptobotia elongata reaches 50 cm (20 in)^[3] (Chromobotia macracanthus has been claimed to reach a similar size, but this would be exceptional).^[4]