Loachweeds are distributed around the world, but unevenly. They are in Central Asia, Europe (except North), in Africa and Southeast Asia. Loaches are not found in Australia, in both Americas, in the rivers of the Arctic Ocean basin. True, species are constantly migrating, and the situation could change.
Freshwater fish of Russia were described in detail by the famous zoologist and popularizer of the 19th century L.P. Sabaneev. We know about habits, lifestyle and some specific features of loachweed from his works.
Classification
Loachweeds belong to the numerous order of cyprinids. In turn, the family It is divided into three subfamilies: loach-like, loach-like and bocia-like. Loach-like include actually loaches, including the most common in our country - ordinary, as well as tweezers. Loach-like totals about 15 genera; this subfamily demonstrates the greatest “breadth of views”: some representatives of the group prefer cold, fast-flowing mountain rivers, others (blind char) prefer the standing waters of caves.
Botsieobrazny loaches are widespread in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam. It is in these countries that the oldest representatives of loachworms were discovered. Botsia and leptobotsii are supplied to Europe as aquarium fish. The famous clown belongs to the genus Bociaceae, which can be found in any pet store. In general, the family of loachweeds is not very numerous, but ichthyologists continue to discover new species to this day.
general characteristics
Loach live and feed at the bottom. This feature determines the appearance of loaches: all members of the family have an elongated body, lumpy or ribbon-like, sometimes with a slightly flattened head. The mouth of loosers is located below. The dorsal fin is short. The scales are mostly very small and thoroughly covered with mucus, which protects the body of the loach from mechanical damage. However, there are absolutely naked fish. The eyes are small. In some species, they are covered with transparent skin (again, for protection). A mandatory attribute of each member of the family is the antennae. They can be from 3 to 6 pairs. The nostrils of loaches are elongated tubes. The loaches and bots have retractable under-eye spikes. An injection of such a spike can cause inflammation. An under-eye spike is a relatively effective measure against birds of prey.
The loach family fish does not like bright light and activates closer to the night. In general, loaches are inactive and secretive (this does not apply only to some bots). Many members of the family tend to bury in silt or sand. There, they not only prey on small crustaceans and larvae, but also wait out unfavorable times - for example, drought.
This is what Misgurnus fossilis, or ordinary loach, looks like. The photo gives a good idea about the location of the tactile mustache:
The most ordinary loach
Misgurnus fossilis, which lives in silted reservoirs and swampy rivers of many European countries, is the most famous member of the family. Sabaneev wrote that Russian fishermen mostly neglected him because of their small size (about 25 cm), although in some provinces (for example, Minsk), loach was popular as a tasty and easily accessible ingredient for fish soup. In Germany, it was customary to brew it in beer or in vinegar. Also, the loaches were dried for the winter.
In fact, the loach is not only shallow, but also not particularly attractive: it is covered with mucus and, being pulled out of the water, wriggles furiously and squeaks. All fish of the loach family has the ability to breathe atmospheric air, gaining it in the mouth and passing through the back of the intestine. The latter is an auxiliary respiratory organ. When the air comes out, a specific sound is heard, similar to a squeak. Thanks to intestinal breathing, loaches are very viable: they can exist for more than a week in a bucket of stale water if covered with hay. Therefore, loaches are often stored for future use as bait for large fish: catfish, burbot, pike, eel.
Interesting features
Actually, loach is really tasty: its meat is soft, fatty and cooks quickly. Asians (Japanese and Indonesians) not only produce, but even breed some species of loachweed for food. In Europe, loaches and loaches are caught for fishing (in summer) and traps (in winter). The loach family fish prefers animal food: small crustaceans, caddis larvae, caviar, worms and mollusks. By the way, the loach does an excellent job with mosquitoes (or rather, with their larvae): if you dig a pond in the summer cottage and populate it with lovers, you will no longer have to suffer from annoying insects.
And finally, loach is widely used as a barometer. It reacts sensitively to changes in atmospheric pressure: it floats to the surface, protrudes from the water and generally behaves uneasily, which is unusual for him. Loach can even “predict” earthquakes.
Exotic loach in aquarium
In the 19th century, it became fashionable to keep fish at home, organize exhibitions and share experiences. Peasants caught ordinary river fish and delivered them alive to Moscow and St. Petersburg. However, as you know, freshwater fish in Russia are relatively few in number. Aquarists wanted more variety. So there was a demand for exotic fish. But Asian loaches appeared in Russia only in the second half of the 20th century. The first were the acanthophthalmus (the subfamily is loosely-like) and the bots (the subfamily is boci-like). Like their European relatives, the “Asians” are distinguished by the variegated color characteristic of bottom fish. Its most common variant is a combination of yellow and black (gray) spots or stripes.
Here is a typical acanthophthalmus, worm-shaped striped loach. The photo is not the most successful, but all the signs of loachweed (motley color, mustache, body shape, short dorsal fin) are evident:
Botsia clown
The most famous ornamental fish of the loach family is the botsiya-clown (the name, apparently, is explained by the bright, “peppy” striped color and mobile character). The homeland of this fish is the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra. The body of a clown is unexpectedly short, compact for a loach, torpedo-shaped, with triangular reddish fins. Usually its length is no more than 17 cm. Externally, clowns resemble South American catfish corridors - due to a similar lifestyle.
These bots have an antennae and an ocular spike, they are omnivores, cheerful and peaceful. Although these fish are also capable of intestinal respiration, they are more than European loaches dependent on the purity of the water and its saturation with oxygen. Also, they can not be settled with territorial, aggressive fish (for example, cichlids) and treated with copper preparations. But in general, the loach-clown is an unpretentious fish.