Misgurnus anguillicaudatus  (Cantor, 1842)

Pond loach
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Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Cypriniformes (Carps) > Cobitidae (Loaches) > Cobitinae

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Freshwater; demersal; depth range 5 - ? m (Ref. 27732).   Subtropical; 5°C - 25°C (Ref. 2060); 53°N - 27°S

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 28.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 59043); common length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal view shows the male with larger pectoral fins and the female with fuller abdomen (Ref. 44091). Body is mottled with darker greenish-gray to dark brown markings, against a yellow-brown to brown color; conspicuous adipose crests along the ventral and dorsal mid-lines of the caudal peduncle; 10 barbels; suborbital spine hidden in the skin (Ref. 27732).

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions | Faunafri

Asia: Native to Siberia (Tugur and Amur drainages), Sakhalin, Korea, Japan, China south to northern Vietnam. Europe: Introduced in several localities in Rhine (Germany) and Ticino (Italy, north of Milano) drainages, Aral Sea basin, North America, Australia and Hawaii. This species proved successful in the aquarium fish trade and has also been introduced to other countries (Ref. 1739). At least one country reports adverse ecological impact after introduction.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found in rivers, lakes and ponds. Also in swamps and rice fields (Ref. 27732, 44894). Adults prefer still or gently flowing water (Ref. 44894), also the muddy bottoms, where they hide in the muck and leaf litter with only their heads sticking out; also found in muddy bottoms of streams and ponds; in Hawaii, can also be found under mats of honohono (Commelina diffusa and California grass (Brachiara nuatica). Feed on worms, small crustaceans, insects, insect larvae, and other small aquatic organisms (Ref. 44091). Benthic (Ref. 58302). Can tolerate temperatures between 2 and 30°C, and can breathe air to supplement respiratory requirements in oxygen-depleted waters. Commonly used by anglers as live bait, so escapes may also have contributed to their spread (Ref. 44894).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran, 1991. Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries. vol 1. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam. 541 p.

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)

  Least Concern (LC) 

Threat to humans

  Potential pest (Ref. 8923)




Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial; bait: occasionally
FAO(Aquaculture: production; ; publication : search) | FisheriesWiki | Sea Around Us

More information

Countries
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Ecology
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Bio-Quiz | E-book | Field guide | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Classification Tree | Catch-MSY |

Special reports

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Alien/Invasive Species database | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GOBASE | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | iSpecies | National databases | PubMed | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | uBio | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates of some properties based on empirical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805):  PD50 = 0.5078   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00473 (-0.11455 - 0.12402), b=3.11 (3.04 - 3.19), based on LWR estimates for species & family-BS (Ref. 93245).
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278):  3.2   ±0.40 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 69278):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec=2000 eggs).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100) .
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.