Putao of northern Myanmar has special species diversity in the Southeast Asia Region and one of the hotspots of biodiversity in the world. During a series of field surveys conducted in the Mali Hka River drainage around the vicinity of Putao, North Kachin, Myanmar. Some unusual specimens of Nemacheilidae fish collected by researchers from China, Swiss and Manmar, which were identified to be new species to science.  

According to the diagnostic characters of genus Mustura in morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic evidences, Maurice Kottelat suggested that most species of Physoschistura and a few species of Schistura, from Southeast Asian areas, should be moved to the genus Mustura. Up till now, 16 valid species were included in the genus Mustura.  

Mustura yangi is distinguished from its congeners of Mustura based on the following combination of characters: 6-7 dark grey bars on flank, often dissociated into a blotch and a saddle; numerous and irregular spots on the head; extremely dorsally situated eyes; well formed axillary pelvic lobe, prominent air-bladder with a minute posterior chamber in abdominal cavity; males with suborbital flap; lateral line complete; a slender caudal peduncle, its depth 1.6-1.9 times in its length, 8.6-10.1% SL; caudal fin forked; largest recorded size 56.0 mm SL. 

Mustura yangi is known only from Mali Hka drainage on Putao plain, a tributary of Irrawaddy River in northern Myanmar. 

This research was supported by Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund (Fishes of Biodiversity Monitoring and Network Construction along Lancang-Mekong River Basin project). And published as "Mustura yangi, a new species of loach (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from Putao, Irrawaddy drainage, northern Myanmar"on Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters.