[lohch] 
| any of several slender European and Asian fishes of the family Cobitidae and related families, having several barbels around the mouth. |
| loach (lōch) n. Any of various Eurasian and African freshwater fishes of the family Cobitidae, having barbels around the mouth. [Middle English loche, from Old French, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *laukka, fish, slug, possibly of Celtic origin.] |
loach
any of the small, generally elongated freshwater fishes of the family Cobitidae. More than 200 species are known; most are native to central and southern Asia, but three are found in Europe and one in northern Africa. A typical loach has very small scales and three to six pairs of whiskerlike barbels around its mouth. In some species, such as the spined loach (Cobitis taenia) of Eurasia, there is also a short, movable spine near each eye
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