Kingdom Animalia Class Actinopterygii Family Vaillantellidae Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Order Cypriniformes Genus Vaillantella | |
Similar Vaillantella, Pangio anguillaris, Homaloptera, Java loach, Leptobotia | ||
Vaillantella maassi (Great emeralder, spiny eel loach, giant scissortail loach, forktail loach) is a species of loach in the Vaillantellidae family, a monotypic family with two other species, Vaillantella cinnamomea and Vaillantella euepiptera. Emeralders (also called long-fin loaches) are from Southeast Asia. The species was described by M. C. W. Weber and de Beaufort in 1912.
Contents
Natural history
Great emeralders were eaten in Asia for a long time until people found they were poisonous after several fatalities were experienced.
Kottelat
In 2012, Maurice Kottelat declared this to be a "trimonotype" family.
Diet
These loaches eat insect larvae, small fish (such as the cyprinids of the genus Paedocypris), mosquito larvae and sometimes even young ducks.
Size
This species grows to be about 6 to 10 inches (15 to 23 centimetres) in length.