Genus · Loaches

Koreocobitis

Koreocobitis is a genus with 2 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Loaches section, recorded from South Korea. Adult sizes run from 5.5 in to 6.5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
2
Adult sizes
5.5–6.5 in
IUCN assessed
2 of 2
Recorded from
South Korea

About the genus

Koreocobitis is a genus of spined loaches (family Cobitidae) endemic to the Korean peninsula, its two species drawn from South Korea's river systems - the epithet naktongensis referencing the Nakdong River in the country's southeast. At 5.5–6.5 in, Koreocobitis runs larger than some of its Korean cobitid relatives, sharing the family's elongate body, sub-terminal barbelled mouth, and erectile suborbital spine used in defence, and typically found over gravel or sand substrate in moving water.

Neither Koreocobitis naktongensis nor K. rotundicaudata has an established presence in the aquarium trade; both are essentially regional-endemic fish of interest to Korean freshwater ichthyology rather than fishkeeping. Both are currently Not Evaluated by the IUCN, though narrow endemism to specific Korean river systems is generally a marker of exposure to damming, channelization, and other stream modification rather than evidence of a secure population.

IUCN Red List: Not Evaluated · 2

The 2 species

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

Kim, Park & Nalbant, 2000

5.5 in SL · NE

(Wakiya & Mori, 1929)

6.5 in TL · NE

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Koreocobitis. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/koreocobitis/

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