Updated 26 Dec. 2023
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Subfamily BALITORINAE Swainson 1839
Balitora Gray 1830 local Gangetic word meaning “sand-digger,” referring to its living among stones in rapid mountain streams, or in rivers with pure sandy bottoms, usually close to the bottom
Balitora anlongensis Luo, Chen, Zhao, Yu, Lan & Zhou 2023 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Anlong County, Guizhou Province, China, where type locality (a cave in NaNao Village, Xinglong) is situated
Balitora annamitica Kottelat 1988 -ica (L.), belonging to: etymology not explained but probably referring to Annamite Range of eastern Indochina, which extends into Ratanakiri Province, northeast Cambodia, type locality
Balitora arunachalensis (Nath, Dam, Bhutia, Dey & Das 2007) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Arunachal Pradish, southern India, where it is endemic [species inquirenda and incertae sedis, originally in Bhavania and provisionally included here]
Balitora brucei Gray 1830 patronym not identified, possibly in honor of Scottish trader and explorer Robert Bruce (d. 1824), or his brother Charles Alexander Bruce (1793–1871), explorer, author and soldier in the Army of the East India Company, who introduced tea plantations in Assam, India (type locality), in 1823 (considering dates and Gray’s connection with the East India Company, the better-known Charles is the more likely dedicatee)
Balitora burmanica Hora 1932 -ica (L.), belonging to: Burma, referring to Meekalan, Myanmar, type locality, described as a “Burmese race” of B. brucei
Balitora chipkali Kumar, Katwate, Raghavan & Dahanukar 2016 lizard in Hindi, referring to general lizard-like appearance in its habitat, where is it usually found adhering to rocks and boulders in fast-flowing streams
Balitora eddsi Conway & Mayden 2010 in honor of aquatic ecologist David R. Edds (b. 1954), Emporia State University, Kansas, USA, who collected type series, for his contribution to the knowledge of the fishes of Nepal
Balitora elongata Chen & Li 1985 Latin for prolonged, referring to slenderer body compared with Balitora brucei
Balitora haithanhi Nguyen 2005 of Hai Thành, presumably a town or village on or near Gâm River, Na Hang District, Tuyên Quang Province, Vietnam, type locality
Balitora jalpalli Raghavan, Tharian, Ali, Jadhav & Dahanukarc 2013 derived from Sanskrit words jal, water, and palli, small lizard, referring to its lizard-like appearance and habit of clinging to rocks in fast-slowing streams
Balitora kwangsiensis (Fang 1930) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Guangxi (Romanized as Kwangsi) Province, China, type locality
Balitora lancangjiangensis (Zheng 1980) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lancangjiang (Mekong) River drainage, China and Laos, where it occurs
Balitora laticauda Bhoite, Jadhav & Dahanukar 2012 latus (L.), wide or broad; cauda (L.), tail, referring to its deeper caudal peduncle compared with B. brucei and B. mysorensis
Balitora longibarbata (Chen 1982) longus (L.), long; barbata (L.), bearded, referring to longer, thicker barbels compared to B. kwangsiensis
Balitora ludongensis Liu & Chen 2012 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ludong Town, Jingxi County, Guangxi Province, China, type locality
Balitora meridionalis Kottelat 1988 Latin for southern, the southernmost member of the genus in the Indochinese peninsula
Balitora mysorensis Hora 1941 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Mysore, Karnataka, India, type locality
Balitora nantingensis Chen, Cui & Yang 2005 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Nanting River, Yunnan Province, China, where it is endemic
Balitora tchangi Zheng 1982 in honor of Tchunlin (or Tchung-Lin) Tchang (1897–1963), for his work on Chinese cyprinoids
Balitora vanlani Nguyen 2005 of Văn Lan, presumably a town or village on or near Gâm River, Na Hang District, Tuyên Quang Province, Vietnam, type locality
Balitora vanlongi Nguyen 2005 of Văn Long, a pass near Gâm River, Na Hang District, Tuyên Quang Province, Vietnam, type locality
Balitoropsis Smith 1945 ópsis (Gr. ὄψις), appearance, allusion not explained, presumably referring to Balitora-like appearance of B. bartschi (=zollingeri)
Balitoropsis ophiolepis (Bleeker 1853) óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, presumably referring to its scales, which, like a reptile’s, are keeled
Balitoropsis zollingeri (Bleeker 1853) in honor of Swiss “naturalist explorer” (and botanist) Heinrich Zollinger (1818–1859), who gave his collection of Macassar (Indonesia) fishes, including holotype of this one, to Bleeker
Hemimyzon Regan 1911 hemi-, from hḗmisys (Gr.), half; myzon, Latinized from mýzō (Gr. μύζω), to suck, but here probably referring to Gastromyzon (Gastromyzontidae), specifically the 15–16 pelvic-fin rays of H. formosanus, “with extended bases convergent posteriorly, approximating to the Gastromyzon structure”
Hemimyzon confluens Kottelat 2000 Latin for confluent (to flow or run together), referring to its fused pelvic fins
Hemimyzon ecdyonuroides Freyhof & Herder 2002 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: the rheophilous mayfly Ecdyonurus (Heptageniidae, Ephemeroptera)
Hemimyzon formosanus (Boulenger 1894) -anus (L.), belonging to: Formosa (Taiwan), where it is endemic
Hemimyzon indicus Lalramliana, Solo, Lalronunga & Lalnuntluanga 2018 -icus (L.), belonging to: India, known only from the Kaladan River in Mizoram, northeastern India
Hemimyzon khonensis Kottelat 2000 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: immediately downriver of Khone Falls, Champasak Province, Laos, type locality
Hemimyzon macropterus Zheng 1982 big-finned, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to its wide, fan-shaped anal fin [often misspelled macroptera]
Hemimyzon megalopseos Li & Chen 1985 mega-, from mégas (Gr. μέγας), big; opseos, presumably a variant spelling of ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to larger eye compared with H. formosanus
Hemimyzon nanensis Doi & Kottelat 1998 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: upper Mae Nam Nan basin, north Thailand, where it occurs
Hemimyzon nujiangensis (Zhang & Zheng 1983) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Nu-Jiang basin, Yunnan Province, China, where it is endemic
Hemimyzon papilio Kottelat 1998 Latin for butterfly, referring to its wing-like pectoral and pelvic fins
Hemimyzon pengi (Huang 1982) patronym not identified, nor can identity be inferred from available evidence
Hemimyzon pumilicorpora Zheng & Zhang 1987 pumilus (L.), dwarfish or diminutive; corpora, presumably plural of corpus (L.), body, referring to its “dwarfish” body compared with H. macropterus
Hemimyzon sheni Chen & Fang 2009 in honor of Shih (or Shieh)-Chieh Shen, National Taiwan University, for his “great” contribution to ichthyology in Taiwan
Hemimyzon taitungensis Tzeng & Shen 1982 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Taitung County, Taiwan, type locality
Hemimyzon yaotanensis (Fang 1931) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Yao-tan, Wa-chang, Luchow, Szechuan, China, type locality
Hemimyzon yushanensis Chen, Harefa, Chang & Han 2022 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Yushan Mountain Ridge, the highest mountain in Taiwan, where hill streams of the Kaoping River basin (type locality) originate
Homaloptera van Hasselt 1823 homalós (Gr. ὁμαλός), level or even; pterá (Gr. πτερά), plural of pterón (πτερόν), feather, used to form Neo-Latin words relating to wings or fins, presumably referring to “horizontal position of the pectoral and ventral fins” (translation)
Homaloptera bilineata Blyth 1860 bi-, from bis (L.), two; lineata, (L.), lined, presumably referring to narrow line from snout to eye that continues behind eye as a broad, irregular and somewhat zig-zag band, with a corresponding but obscure band below lateral line (little seen on rear half of body)
Homaloptera confuzona Kottelat 2000 confusus (L.), confused; zona (L.), belt, referring to four irregularly shaped or incomplete (sometimes absent) darker bars on body
Homaloptera ocellata van der Hoeven 1833 Latin for having little eyes (ocelli), referring to 6–7 large, round, dark spots on middle line of back, each with an orange ring [name coined by van Hasselt ca. 1823 but never published]
Homaloptera ogilviei Alfred 1967 in honor of the late Charles S. Ogilvie (1896–?), Superintendent of King George V National Park, Malaya, a “keen amateur ichthyologist and an unfailing source of information, inspiration, and assistance” during Alfred’s expeditions into the Park
Homaloptera orthogoniata Vaillant 1902 orthós (Gr. ὀρθός), straight; goniata, Latinized adjective from gōnía (Gr. γωνία), corner or angle, presumably referring to thin, dark longitudinal stripe through eye and a similar vertical stripe extending below it
Homaloptera parclitella Tan & Ng 2005 par (L.), two; clitellae (L.), pack-saddles, referring to distinct two-saddle blotched dorsum pattern
Jinshaia Kottelat & Chu 1988 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: Jinsha-jiang (or Yangtze-kiang) River basin, China, only known distribution of the genus
Jinshaia abbreviata (Günther 1892) Latin for shortened, presumably referring to its “short and simple” barbels
Jinshaia sinensis (Sauvage & Dabry de Thiersant 1874) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sinica (China), the only species of Psilorhynchus (its original genus) known from China at the time
Lepturichthys Regan 1911 leptós (Gr. λεπτός), thin; urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish, referring to long, slender tail, which distinguishes it from Homaloptera
Lepturichthys dolichopterus Dai 1985 long-finned, from dolichós (Gr. δολιχός), long; pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to longer pectoral and ventral fins compared with L. fimbriatus
Lepturichthys fimbriatus (Günther 1888) Latin for fringed, its mouth “surrounded with fringes, from which the barbels differ only by their greater size”
Metahomaloptera Chang 1944 metá (Gr. μετά), between, referring to its presumed relationship between homalopterid and gastromyzontid loaches (then placed in the same family)
Metahomaloptera longicauda Yang, Chen & Yang 2007 longus (L.) long; cauda (L.), tail, referring to longer caudal peduncle compared with M. o. omeiensis and M. o. hangshuiensis
Metahomaloptera omeiensis Chang 1944 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Omei, Szechwan, China, type locality
Metahomaloptera omeiensis hangshuiensis Xie, Yang & Gong 1984 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: upper Hanjiang River, Mount Shengnongjia, Hubei Province, China, type locality
Pseudohomaloptera Silas 1953 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (Gr. ψεύδης), false, i.e., although this genus may superficially resemble Homaloptera, such an appearance is false
Pseudohomaloptera batek (Tan 2009) a traditional Indonesian patterned cloth, made by hand painting, alluding to this loach’s “unique beautiful” body pattern
Pseudohomaloptera leonardi (Hora 1941) in honor of George Russell Leonard (1909–?), Superintendent of King George V National Park, “in slight recognition of the help rendered by him in the collection of fishes from Kuala Taham, Pahang” (Malaya)
Pseudohomaloptera sexmaculata (Fowler 1934) sex (L.), six; maculata (L.), spotted, referring to six “principal dark saddles” on back
Pseudohomaloptera tatereganii (Popta 1905) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of English ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878– 1943), Natural History Museum (London)
Pseudohomaloptera tecta Randall, Somarriba, Tongnunui & Page 2022 Latin for disguised or hidden, referring to its being the first record of the genus from the Indonesian island of Sumatra
Pseudohomaloptera vulgaris (Kottelat & Chu 1988) Latin for common, inconspicuous or trivial, referring to its inconspicuous appearance and color pattern [placed in Balitoropsis by some workers]
Pseudohomaloptera yunnanensis (Chen 1978) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Yunnan Province, China, where type (Lanchan River) is situated
Sinogastromyzon Fang 1930 Sino-, from Sinica (China), where type species, G. wui, is endemic, i.e., a Chinese Gastromyzon (Gastromyzontidae)
Sinogastromyzon chapaensis Mai 1978 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chapa, French name for Sa Pa, capital of Sa Pa District, Lao Cai Province, Vietnam, presumed type locality
Sinogastromyzon daduheensis Guo & Yang 2013 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Daduhe, pinyin spelling of Dadu River, Shimian County, China, type locality
Sinogastromyzon daon Nguyen 2005 presumably referring to Da River system, Lai Châu, Vietnam, type locality
Sinogastromyzon dezeensis Li, Mao & Lu 1999 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Deze, Qujing County, Yunnan Province, China, type locality
Sinogastromyzon hagiangensis Nguyen 2005 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Hà Giang, Hà Giang Province, Vietnam, type locality [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]
Sinogastromyzon hsiashiensis Fang 1931 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Hsia-shih, Ma-ha-hsien, Guizhou (Kweichow) Province, China, type locality
Sinogastromyzon hypercorpus Nguyen 2005 hypér (Gr. ὑπέρ), beyond, over, above or very; corpus (L.) body, presumably referring to its high body, its depth equal to its length [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]
Sinogastromyzon lixianjiangensis Liu, Chen & Yang 2010 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lixianjiang River drainage, Mojiang County, Yunnan, China, to which Sinanjiang River (type locality) belongs
Sinogastromyzon macrostoma Liu, Chen & Yang 2010 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μaκρóς), large or long; stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to relative larger mouth when compared with congeners
Sinogastromyzon maon Nguyen & Nguyen 2005 presumably referring to Ma River system, Sông Ma, Son La Province, Vietnam [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]
Sinogastromyzon minutus Mai 1978 Latin for very small, described at 31–38 mm SL (38–45 mm TL)
Sinogastromyzon multiocellum Nguyen 2005 multi– (L.), many; ocellum, incorrect spelling of ocellus, diminutive of oculus (L.), eye (often used to mean eyespot but in this case likely simply meaning spot), referring to eight black spots along back
Sinogastromyzon namnaensis Nguyen 2005 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Nâm Na River, Lai Châu, Vietnam, type locality
Sinogastromyzon nanpanjiangensis Li 1987 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Nánpán Jiāng, pinyin spelling of Nanpan River, Lunan County, Yunnan Province, China, type locality
Sinogastromyzon nantaiensis Chen, Han & Fang 2002 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Nan-Tai, Chinese name for southern Taiwan, type locality
Sinogastromyzon puliensis Liang 1974 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Pu-lo (Tatuchi, Puli), Taiwan, type locality
Sinogastromyzon rugocauda Mai 1978 etymology not explained, perhaps rugo (L.), to crease or wrinkle; cauda (L.), tail, possibly referring to caudal peduncle covered by ctenoid scales
Sinogastromyzon sichangensis Chang 1944 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sichang (now Xichang), Sichuan Province, China, where type locality (Anning River), is situated
Sinogastromyzon szechuanensis Fang 1930 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Szechuan, China, referring to its distribution in the upper reaches of the Changjiang River
Sinogastromyzon tonkinensis Pellegrin & Chevey 1935 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Tonkin, northern region of Vietnam, where type locality (Lai Chau) is situated
Sinogastromyzon wui Fang 1930 in honor of Wu Hsien-Wen (1900–1985), Biological Laboratory of the Science Society of China, for his “excellent work” on the ichthyology of the southeastern China coast
Subfamily HOMALOPTEROIDINAE Randall & Page 2015
Homalopteroides Fowler 1905 -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: Homaloptera, referring to placement of dorsal fin behind (vs. before) ventral fin on H. wassinkii
Homalopteroides avii Randall & Page 2014 in memory of Lawrence ‘‘Avi’’ Greenberg (1982–2011), “an inspiration to and missed friend of the first author and many others”; the “diagnostic lateral cephalic stripe of this species, reminiscent of a smile, is a symbol of Avi’s gentle disposition and goodhearted nature”
Homalopteroides indochinensis (Silas 1953) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Indochina, former French colony that included Annam, a French protectorate that encompasses the central region of present-day Vietnam, type locality
Homalopteroides lineatus (Smith 1945) Latin for lined, referring to narrow dark stripe from head to base of caudal fin
Homalopteroides manipurensis (Arunkumar 1999) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Manipur, India, where it occurs in the Yu River drainage
Homalopteroides modestus (Vinciguerra 1890) Latin for moderate, modest or unassuming, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its grayish coloration compared with the more-colorful Homaloptera bilineata, its presumed congener at the time
Homalopteroides nebulosus (Alfred 1969) Latin for cloudy or dark, probably referring to dark-brown stripe along lateral line with 5–6 irregular brown patches across dorsum and sides
Homalopteroides rupicola (Prashad & Mukerji 1929) rupes (L.), rock; –cola (L.), inhabitant of, referring to its occurrence in small rocky streams
Homalopteroides smithi (Hora 1932) in honor of American ichthyologist Hugh M. Smith (1865–1941), then at the Department of Fisheries, Siam
Homalopteroides stephensoni (Hora 1932) in honor of Hora’s teacher, Lieut.-Col. John Stephenson (1871–1933), civil surgeon, Indian Medical Service, and biology professor, Government College, Lahore
Homalopteroides tweediei (Herre 1940) in honor of naturalist-archaeologist Michael W. F. Tweedie (1907–1993), Assistant Curator, Raffles Museum in Singapore, who helped collect holotype
Homalopteroides wassinkii (Bleeker 1853) in honor of Geerlof Wassink (1811–1864), Dutch physician and military officer, chief of the medical service in the Dutch East Indies, through whose kindness Bleeker received type
Homalopteroides weberi (Hora 1932) in honor of German–born Dutch physician and zoologist Max Weber (1852–1937), for the “valuable service rendered by him towards the study of Indo-Australian Fishes”
Homalopteroides yuwonoi (Kottelat 1998) in honor of Digdo Yuwono, Indonesian Ornamental Fish Association, for his continuous support of Kottelat’s work on Indonesian freshwater fishes
Homalopterula Fowler 1940 -ula (L.), diminutive suffix, referring to “comparatively small size” of H. ripleyi, i.e., a small Homaloptera (Balitoridae)
Homalopterula amphisquamata (Weber & de Beaufort 1916) amphí (Gr. ἁμφί), on both sides; squamata (L.), scaled, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to how scales on upper anterior part of trunk are much smaller than posterior scales
Homalopterula gymnogaster (Bleeker 1853) gymnós (Gr. γυμνός), bare or naked; venter (L.), belly, referring to scaleless belly between ventral fins
Homalopterula heterolepis (Weber & de Beaufort 1916) héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different; lepίs (Gr. λεπίς), scale, referring to scales on upper anterior part of trunk much smaller than posterior ones
Homalopterula modiglianii (Perugia 1893) in honor of Italian anthropologist, zoologist and explorer Elio Modigliani (1860–1932), who collected holotype
Homalopterula ripleyi Fowler 1940 in honor of American ornithologist Sidney Dillon Ripley (1913–2001), who acted as a field representative for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia during the Sumatran expedition that collected holotype
Homalopterula vanderbilti (Fowler 1940) in honor of American yachtsman and explorer George W. Vanderbilt III (1914–1961), who organized Sumatran expedition during which holotype was collected
Subfamily Incertae sedis
Bhavania Hora 1920 etymology not explained, perhaps –ia (L. suffix), belonging to: Bhavani, name of municipal area and river in Tamil Nadu, India, at or near where B. australis occurs
Bhavania annandalei Hora 1920 in honor of British zoologist-anthropologist Thomas Nelson Annandale (1876–1924), Director, Indian Museum (Calcutta), who collected holotype
Bhavania australis (Jerdon 1849) Latin for southern, presumably referring to its distribution in southern India
Cryptotora Kottelat 1998 crypto, from kryptόs (Gr. κρυπτός), hidden; –tora, contraction of Balitora, i.e., a hidden balitorid, referring to cave life of C. thamicola
Cryptotora thamicola (Kottelat 1988) tham, Latin transcription of Thai word for cave; –cola (L.), inhabitant of, referring to its cave habitat
Ghatsa Randall & Page 2015 named for the Western Ghats of India, where this genus appears to be endemic
Ghatsa menoni (Shaji & Easa 1995) in honor of Indian ichthyologist Ambat Gopalan Kutty Menon (1921–2002), Zoological Survey of India, for his “outstanding” contributions to the taxonomy of Indian loaches
Ghatsa montana (Herre 1945) Latin for pertaining to mountains, referring to Anamallai Hills, southern India, elevation ~3600 feet, type locality
Ghatsa pillaii (Indra & Rema Devi 1981) in honor of herpetologist Raghavan Sridharan Pillai (b. 1932), Deputy Director and Officer-in-Charge, Southern Regional Station, Zoological Survey of India, who collected type
Ghatsa santhamparaiensis (Arunachalam, Johnson & Rema Devi 2002) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Santhampari Hills, Idukki District of Kerala, India, type locality
Ghatsa silasi (Madhusoodana Kurup & Radhakrishnan 2011) in honor of Sri Lankan-born Indian ichthyologist and fisheries scientist Eric Godwin Silas (1928–2018), Director, Central Marine Fisheries Institute (India), for his “outstanding” contributions to the taxonomy of freshwater fishes of Western Ghats
Neohomaloptera Herre 1944 néos (Gr. νέος), new, proposed as a subgenus of Homaloptera
Neohomaloptera johorensis (Herre 1944) -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Johore, Malaysia, type locality
Travancoria Hora 1941 -ia (L. suffix), belonging to: Travancore Hill, Kerala, India, where T. jonesi is endemic
Travancoria elongata Pethiyagoda & Kottelat 1994 Latin for prolonged, referring to slenderer body and/or slenderer caudal peduncle compared with T. jonesi
Travancoria jonesi Hora 1941 in honor of Mr. S. Jones, who sent a “fine collection” of fishes from Travancore Hilla, Kerala, India, to the Zoological Survey of India; possibly biologist Santhappan Jones (1910–1997), former director of the Central Marine Fisheries Institute (Kochi, India)