Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cypriniformes (Carps) >
Nemacheilidae (Brook loaches)
Etymology: Schistura: Greek, schizein = to divide + Greek, oura = tail; an allusion to forked caudal fins (Ref. 45335); deansmarti: Named for Dean Smart, British speleologist who collected most of the specimems and a strong voice for cave conservation in Thailand.
Eponymy: Dean Smart is a British speleologist who worked for the Thai Forestry Department. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on authors: Vidthayanon & Kottelat.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical
Asia: Tham Phra Sai Ngam cave in Thailand.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 51711)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 13; Anal soft rays: 8. Body pinkish white in life, without color pattern; feebly developed suborbital flap in male, with a shallow groove outlining only tip of flap; a long, pointed flap-like nostril tube; eye subcutaneous, vestigial, in a small pit, or apparently missing; eye pit or slit often missing and not connected with groove bordering suborbital flap in male; in females, no groove in position homologous to that of groove behind suborbital flap; eye becoming indistinct at about 4 cm SL; snout conical; dorsal head profile flushed with that of body (Ref. 51711).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.
Inhabits cave with only stagnant water in the dry season and with reportedly only moderate flow in the rainy season. Occurs approximately 200 m from the entrance. Mostly found resting on the bottom, sometimes free swimming, near crevices where they hide if chased.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Vidthayanon, C. and M. Kottelat, 2003. Three new species of fishes from Tham Phra Wang Daeng and Tham Phra Sai Ngam caves in northern Thailand (Teleostei: Cyprinidae and Balitoridae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 14(2):159-174. (Ref. 51711)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00692 (0.00310 - 0.01545), b=3.02 (2.85 - 3.19), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.0 ±0.3 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
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