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. The family includes about 56 species.

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 depending on the species involved, although Leptobotia elongata reaches (Chromobotia macracanthus has been claimed to reach a similar size, but this would be exceptional).

Genera

Botiidae contains the following genera:

As aquarium fish

Many of the more brightly colored species are popular with freshwater aquarists, so are of importance in the aquarium trade. Botiidae often encountered in aquarium trade include:

• Clown loach, Chromobotia macracanthus

• Red-finned loach, Yasuhikotakia modesta

• Dwarf loach, Ambastaia sidthimunki

• Skunk loach, Yasuhikotakia morleti

• Yoyo loach, Botia almorhae

• Zebra loach, B. striata

• Bengal loach, B. dario

• Burmese border loach, B. kubotai

References

• Kottelat, M. (2004): Botia kubotai, a new species of loach (Teleostei: Cobitidae) from the Ataran River basin (Myanmar), with comments on botiine nomenclature and diagnosis of a new genus. Zootaxa 401: 1–18. PDF abstract and first page image

• Tang, Qiong-ying; Yu, Dan & Liu, Huan-zhang (2008): 斑纹薄鳅 (Leptobotia zebra) 应该为斑纹沙鳅 (Sinibotia zebra) ["Leptobotia zebra Should Be Revised as Sinibotia zebra (Cypriniformes-Botiidae)"]. Zoological Research 29(1): 1-9 [Chinese with English abstract]. PDF fulltext