This species is endemic to the streams on east- and west-facing slopes of the Gaoligong Shan, Yunnan. Its range covers the Gaoligong Shan National Natural Reserve; most of its habitats are still pristine or well-protected. As its extent of occurrence is very small, the fish could be susceptible to a variety of stressors, such as deforestation, illegal fishing, and urbanization. Although the situation is currently stable, if management changes (e.g. because of policy change), the species could rapidly become Critically Endangered. Thus, it is listed as Vulnerable D2.

This species is only known from the headwaters of Longchuan Jiang and tributaries of middle Nu Jiang in east-and west-facing slopes of Gaoligong Shan, Yunnan, China.

It is a localised fish in streams in east- and west-facing slopes of Gaoligong Shan, considered to be neither rare nor common.

It is a cold-water fish living in slow-flowing, pebbly or gravelly-bottomed water of highland streams. It feeds mainly on aquatic insects and also eats small fish and fish eggs. Spawning is from April to May each year.

The centre of the distribution of this species is the Gaoligong Shan National Nature Reserve, Yunnan. Indeed, it is well-conserved in this protected area. Illegal fishing, urbanisation, and deforestation sometimes happened in the past, but this is now very rare or non-existent. As this species has a very narrow elevation range, climate change may be a threat through habitat shifting and alteration.

Local people would previously have caught this fish for food. However, this is no longer occurring as fishing is banned in the protected area.

Management of the Gaoligong Shan National Nature Reserve is strong. Monitoring of the population trend is needed, especially to reveal any decline as a result of climate change.