Java barb
INFORMATION
Java barb
he Java barb (Barbonymus gonionotus) more commonly known as silver barb in aquaculture, or Java carp, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Barbonymus.
Ecology
The Java barb is found in the middle of the water column to the bottom in rivers, streams, floodplains, and sometimes in reservoirs. It shows and apparent preference for still water habitats rather than flowing waters. During periods of raised water levels it moves into flooded forest. Its diet consists of plant matter such as leaves, weeds, Ipomoea reptans and Hydrilla as well as some invertebrates. It is not a long distance migrant but is a local migrant in the Mekong showing a rainy season movement from the main river channel into small streams and canals and then into flooded areas returning as the water recedes. The upstream migration of the Java barb seems to be triggered by the first rains and rising water levels.
Description
The Java barb has a strongly compressed body with an elevated back caused by an arched dorsal profile. It has a small head with a short, pointed snout and a terminal mouth, the snout's length is less than the diameter of the eye. It has very small barbels, with the upper barbels being minute, even disappearing entirely. The colour of fresh specimens is silvery white, occasionally tinted with gold. The dorsal and caudal fins are grey to grey-yellow while the anal and pelvic fins are pale orange with reddish tips and the pectoral fins are pale yellow. It has very few tubercles on the snout and these are only visible when magnified. The dorsal fin has four spines and eight soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 6-7 branched rays. The males can grow to 40.5 cm (15.9 in) in total length.
The Java barb's natural distribution ranges from Vietnam, where it has been recorded in the Mekong Delta and Dong Nai River, through the basin of the Mekong to the Chao Phraya basin in Thailand. It is also found on Sumatra and Java and has been recorded from the Rajang River basin in Sarawak, Borneo. An introduced population has been found in Peninsular Malaysia.
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