Taxonomy & naming
Beaufortia granulopinna was described by Chen and Tang, in Chen, Li, Tang, Pu and Lei, in 2024, from the Lizhou River near Tianlin County, Guangxi. The Catalog of Fishes (Eschmeyer, CAS) is the authority for the valid name. The genus Beaufortia belongs to the hillstream loach family Gastromyzontidae.
Morphology
Beaufortia are flattened, sucker-bellied loaches with the paired fins spread against the substrate. Measurements and colour pattern of this species are given in the original description, which the atlas has not compiled. The name granulopinna points to granular fins, in Latin granulum for grain and pinna for fin.
Habitat
The type locality is a stream at about 1,542 ft elevation in the upper Pearl River system of Guangxi. As with other Beaufortia, it is expected to live in clear, flowing water over cobble and boulders, though the original description is the only habitat record.
Feeding
The diet has not been described. Other Beaufortia graze biofilm and small invertebrates from rock.
Mating
Courtship has not been described for this species.
Breeding
Spawning has not been described, in the wild or in captivity.
In the aquarium
Hillstream loaches are fish of fast, well-oxygenated, cool running water. Keeping one means a river-style tank with strong flow, clean water and a biofilm-covered rockscape. The species is rarely offered, and husbandry for it has not been documented.
Conservation
Beaufortia granulopinna has not been assessed by the IUCN. It is known only from a single river in Guangxi, so it should be treated as a locally restricted fish with an undocumented status. Wild-collected animals in the trade should be viewed with that in mind.