Pond loach: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the pond loach lives – recorded in 10 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
Group	Bony fish
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	10 countries
Continents	Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Cypriniformes
Family	Cobitidae

Where does the pond loach live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the pond loach in 10 countries and territories across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. Wikidata gives its range as: People's Republic of China, Yangtze River. In China, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Australia
South Korea
China (introduced)
United States
Japan (introduced)
Chinese Taipei
Italy (introduced)
Germany (introduced)
Canada
Spain (introduced)

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the pond loach endangered?

The pond loach’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the pond loach?

The pond loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) is a ray-finned fish in the order Cypriniformes and the family Cobitidae, genus Misgurnus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the pond loach

The pond loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), also known as the Dojo loach, oriental weatherloach, or oriental weatherfish, is a freshwater fish in the loach family Cobitidae. They are native to East Asia, but are also popular as an aquarium fish and introduced elsewhere in Asia and to Europe, America and Australia. The alternate name weather loach is shared with several other Cobitidae, including the other members of the genus Misgurnus and the spotted weather loach (Cobitis taenia, commonly known as spined loach). This term comes from their ability to detect changes in barometric pressure before a storm and react with frantic swimming or standing on end.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Pond loach (revision 1380321760), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q697487 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).