Leptobotia elongata
Species of fish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 lb 10 oz) 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 | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Botiidae |
| Genus: | Leptobotia |
| Species: | L. elongata |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptobotia elongata (Bleeker, 1870) | |
| 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]