Spotted Spined Loach

Body relatively high, head small, eyes placed in anterior part. Unusual color pattern, consists of small dark-gray dots, throughout body and head. Mouth slightly arched with three pairs of long barbels. Lips finely furrowed. Mental lobes developed, with pointed tips. Appears unique in its morphological features.Pigmentation (Gambetta's longitudinal zone of pigmentation): blotches of zone Z2 and Z4 very small, indistinct or confluent; flank pigmented below zone Z4. One lamina circularis (Ref. 59043).

During courtship, 'the male follows the female and, after both enter dense vegetation (e.g. filamentous algae), the male forms a complete ring around the female's body behind the dorsal as the female releases the eggs' (Ref. 59043).

Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6; Analspines: 2; Analsoft rays: 5

Found in streams with still to moderately flowing clear water and mud bottom (Ref. 59043). Oviparous, possibly with distinct pairing during breeding similar to congeners (Ref. 205).

Cobitis puncticulata is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cobitidae. It is found only in Turkey and Greece. Its natural habitat is rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.