Taxonomy & naming
Beaufortia viridis was described by Chen and Tang, in Chen, Li, Tang, Pu and Lei, in 2024. The Catalog of Fishes (Eschmeyer, CAS) is the authority for the valid name. It sits in Gastromyzontidae, the hillstream loaches.
Morphology
Like other Beaufortia, it is a dorsoventrally flattened loach adapted to cling to rock in current. Size and colour pattern are given in the original description, which the atlas has not compiled. The epithet viridis is Latin for green, and probably refers to its colour in life.
Habitat
The type locality, the Wuming River in Wuming District, Nanning, lies at about 525 ft elevation, lower than the type locality of B. granulopinna. The original description is the only habitat record, and the species is expected to live in clear, flowing water over rock like its relatives.
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. Husbandry for this species has not been documented.
Conservation
Beaufortia viridis has not been assessed by the IUCN. It is known only from the Wuming River area of 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.