Yasuhikotakia is a genus of loaches in the family Botiidae, split out from the old catch-all genus Botia and centred on the river systems of mainland Southeast Asia, with atlas records from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, and Pakistan. The 7 species in the atlas range from about 3–10 in and share the deep-bodied, boldly patterned build typical of the botiid loaches, along with the erectable sub-ocular spine near the eye that the whole family uses defensively. They are active, social bottom-dwellers of rivers and streams, most at home over sand, gravel, or fine substrate they can dig and sift through.
This is one of the more genuinely popular genera in the loach-keeping hobby: the Skunk loach (Yasuhikotakia morleti) and Dwarf chain loach (Y. modesta) are long-established aquarium fish, alongside the Sun loach (Y. eos), Tailspot Botia (Y. caudipunctata), and Splendid loach (Y. splendida). They are kept in groups rather than singly — botiid loaches are known for social, sometimes boisterous behaviour and do best with several tankmates of their own kind — and despite its name the Dwarf chain loach is known to grow well beyond a beginner's expectations, into the upper part of the genus's size range recorded here. Most assessed species sit at Least Concern, though the atlas also records a Vulnerable species and one not yet evaluated, a reminder that even well-known aquarium fish can carry regional conservation pressure.