Genus · Loaches

Pogonoschistura

Pogonoschistura is a genus with 2 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Loaches section, recorded from Thailand and Cambodia. Adult sizes run from 2.5 in to 3 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
2
Adult sizes
2.5–3 in
IUCN assessed
2 of 2
Recorded from
2 countries

About the genus

Pogonoschistura is a small genus of stone loaches in the family Nemacheilidae, restricted to Southeast Asia - the brief lists Thailand and Cambodia, and the species name of Pogonoschistura kohchangensis points to Koh Chang, an island stream system on Thailand's eastern coast. The atlas's 2 species are small, 2.5–3 in as adults, with the elongated, cylindrical body, small ventrally placed mouth, and barbels typical of nemacheilid loaches adapted to grip and forage along fast-flowing, rocky or sandy stream bottoms.

This is a poorly documented genus outside regional ichthyological surveys, with no established presence in the aquarium hobby that the available information confirms. Pogonoschistura kohchangensis, sold occasionally under names like the Ornate Tiger Sand Loach, appears to be the better-known of the two species, but detailed care information is sparse. Both species currently carry a Not Evaluated IUCN status, which is common for recently described or narrowly distributed stream loaches that have not yet been assessed against the Red List criteria.

IUCN Red List: Not Evaluated · 2

The 2 species

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

(Smith, 1933)

Ornate Tiger Sand Loach

3 in SL · NE

Bohlen, Dvořák & Šlechtová, 2026

2.5 in SL · NE

Explore further

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Pogonoschistura. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/pogonoschistura/

← All Loaches