Rhyacichthyidae

This article is about the family collectively known as 'loach gobies'. For the particular species known as the 'loach goby', see Loach goby.

The Rhyacichthyidae or loach gobies are a small family of perciform fish in two genera. The three species all inhabit rivers and streams, often with fast flow. R. aspro is widespread in Western Pacific region (China and Japan to New Guinea and the Solomons), but the two remaining species are restricted to New Caledonia and Vanuatu.^[2][3] Little is known about their breeding behavior, but the eggs or larvae float down into the sea where the young grow up, only to later return to the adult river and stream habitat.^[4] They are fairly small fish, no more than 25 cm (10 in) in standard length.^[2][3]

Loach gobies
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Superorder:	Acanthopterygii
Clade:	Percomorpha
Order:	Gobiiformes
Family:	Rhyacichthyidae Jordan, 1905[1]
Genera
Protogobius Rhyacichthys See text for species.

Species

• Genus Protogobius
  • Protogobius attiti Watson & Pöllabauer, 1998
• Genus Rhyacichthys
  • Rhyacichthys aspro (Valenciennes, 1837) - loach goby
  • Rhyacichthys guilberti Dingerkus & Séret, 1992