Formerly included in the genus Yasuhikotakia, it is frequently seen in the aquarium trade, the product of captive breeding.

[5] Records from the Mekong basin are misidentifications of the very similar and closely related A.

While they disappeared from the wild, it remained in the aquarium trade because of artificial breeding by private fish farms for over three decades.

[7] The specific epithet of this fish honors Aree Sidthimunk (Thai: อารีย์ สิทธิมังค์), a researcher at Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture.

The dwarf loach closely resembles Ambastaia nigrolineata, another Thai protected species, especially when the fish is fully grown.