Genus · Loaches

Iksookimia

Iksookimia is a genus with 2 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Loaches section, recorded from South Korea. Adult sizes run from 4.5 in to 5.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
2
Adult sizes
4.5–5.5 in
IUCN assessed
2 of 2 · 1 threatened
Recorded from
South Korea

About the genus

Iksookimia is a genus of spined loaches (family Cobitidae) found only in South Korea, where its species inhabit rocky, gravel-bottomed streams and rivers. Loaches in this genus are elongate, bottom-dwelling fish with a sub-terminal mouth ringed by barbels for probing substrate and, as is typical of the family, an erectile spine beneath the eye used defensively. The two species tracked in the atlas run 4.5–5.5 in, and the genus name honors a Korean ichthyologist who contributed substantially to describing the peninsula's freshwater fish fauna.

Iksookimia has essentially no presence in the mainstream aquarium trade; it is best understood as a genus of regional scientific and conservation interest rather than a hobby fixture, with its narrow South Korean endemism leaving it exposed to stream degradation and damming. That pattern shows in the atlas's IUCN tally - one species Not Evaluated and one assessed as Vulnerable - consistent with the general conservation pressure on Korea's restricted-range freshwater endemics.

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable · 1 Not Evaluated · 1

The 2 species

Every Iksookimia recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources.

Nalbant, 1993

4.5 in TL · NE

Kim & Park, 1997

5.5 in TL · VU

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Iksookimia. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/iksookimia/

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