Taxonomy & naming
Schistura ataranensis was described in 2023 by Dvořák, Bohlen, Kottelat and Šlechtová. The type locality is the upper Ataran basin, Kayin Province, Myanmar. The Catalog of Fishes (Eschmeyer, CAS) is the authority for the valid name. It belongs to Nemacheilidae, and Schistura is a very large genus of Asian stone loaches.
Morphology
Size and colour pattern are given in the original description, which the atlas has not compiled. Schistura are typically slender, barred or striped loaches with three pairs of barbels.
Habitat
The Ataran is a river of southeastern Myanmar draining to the Andaman Sea. Stone loaches of this genus normally live in flowing water over gravel and rock, and no habitat detail specific to this species has been published.
Feeding
The diet has not been described. Schistura generally pick small invertebrates from gravel and 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
Husbandry has not been documented for this species. Schistura in general suit clean, well-oxygenated water with rocky cover, but that is a statement about the genus.
Conservation
Schistura ataranensis has not been assessed by the IUCN. It is known only from the upper Ataran basin of Myanmar, 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.