Nemacheilidae

Tiger loach

Oxynoemacheilus panthera

Eight Centimeters Loach of Asian Waters

• Tropical
• Regional distribution
• Freshwater fish
• West Asia
• Small
• Tropical fish

Oxynoemacheilus panthera, the tiger loach or the Damascus loach, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Oxynoemacheilus. It occurs in only two streams, the Nahr Baradá and Nahr al-A'waj in the Damascus basin in Syria. It is thought that over 90% of the populations of this species of stone loach have been lost due to water abstraction and the drying up of its native watercourses, exacerbated by lower rainfall levels.