Schistura

Schistura is a highly polyphyletic genus that encompasses approximately 250 species. The type species of Schistura is S. rupecula, found in northern India. The genus is thought to be widely distributed and speciose in the southern Himalayas, extending from Pakistan to China. Loaches identified as Schistura are widespread in India and Sri Lanka and occur all over tropical Asia and Indonesia. They are especially speciose in Indochina. Most loaches placed in Schistura will be recognised in different genera in the future, and the genus needs a fundamental revision. In West Asia, several loaches had been described in Schistura, including S. ceyhanensis, S. chrysicristinae, S. evreni, and S. seyhanicola, all from Türkiye. Except for S. chrysicristinae, these were later placed in Oxynoemacheilus . Schistura chrysicristinae was placed in Paraschistura based on the characters provided in its original description. Upon rediscovery in 2021, mitochondrial DNA data indicated a close relationship between S. chrysicristinae and S. rupecula . Consequently, S. chrysicristinae was reclassified within the genus Schistura . Schistura chrysicristinae is found approximately 3,000 km northeast of the genus’s known range.