Spotted barbs
Gold Barb
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Actinopterygii   Order: Cypriniformes   Family: Cyprinidae   Genus: Puntius
Type Species
Cyprinus sophore Hamilton, 1822
Species
See Species for a full list

Puntius^[1] is a genus of fish in the Cyprinidae family of order Cypriniformes. The type species is Cyprinus sophore (the pool barb, now called Puntius sophore), and fish of this genus are known as the spotted barbs. The name Puntius comes from a local Bangla name for small cyprinids called pungti.

Fish of the genus Puntius are found in Southeast Asia and India, including Sri Lanka. The maximum size for an adult of this genus is less than 25cm, typically 15cm, and many species only achieve around 5cm adult length. In appearance they may resemble miniature carp and are often brightly coloured or patterned. The fish are omnivorous; their diet includes small insect larvae, worms and plant matter.

Breeding is by egg scattering and takes place close to the bottom, near or within areas of dense plant growth. They do not show parental care, and adults may eat the young.

Historically, many species of Puntius have been classified in several genera, including Barbus, and have "barb" common names such as the tiger barb and so on. Despite the reclassifications, the specific epithet remains the same.

Contents 1 In the aquarium 1.1 Common aquarium species 2 Species 2.1 P. cochonius sub group 3 References

In the aquarium

Many of these tropical barbs are commonly kept as inhabitants of a warm water aquarium, as many species are commonly available. They are easy to feed, taking a wide variety of foods including dried food. Many species are considered unsuitable in aquaria with slow-moving, long-finned tankmates.

Common aquarium species

Numerous small barbs are suited to aquaria.^[2]

Puntius arulius (Arulius barb) Puntius binotatus (Spotted barb) Puntius chola (Swamp barb) Puntius conchonius (Rosy barb) Puntius denisonii (Red line torpedo barb) Puntius dunckeri (Bigspot barb) Puntius everetti (Clown barb) Puntius fasciatus (Melon barb) Puntius gelius (Golden barb) Puntius hexazona (Sixband barb) Puntius lateristriga (Spanner barb) Puntius nigrofasciatus (Black ruby barb)

Puntius oligolepis (Checker barb) Puntius partipentazona Puntius pentazona (Pentazona barb) Puntius phutunio (Spottedsail barb) Puntius semifasciolatus (Gold barb) Puntius sophore (Pool barb) Puntius stoliczkanus (Tic-tac-toe barb) Puntius terio (Onespot barb) Puntius tetrazona (Tiger barb) Puntius ticto (Ticto barb) Puntius titteya (Cherry barb) Puntius vittatus (Greenstripe barb)

Species

There are many species.^[3]

P. amarus (Herre, 1924) P. amphibius (Valenciennes, 1842) (Scarlet-banded barb) P. anchisporus (Vaillant, 1902) P. arenatus (Day, 1878) P. arulius (Jerdon, 1849) (Arulius barb) P. asoka Kottelat & Pethiyagoda, 1989 (Asoka barb) P. aurotaeniatus (Tirant, 1885) P. bandula Kottelat & Pethiyagoda, 1991 (Bandula barb) P. bantolanensis (Day, 1914) P. baoulan (Herre, 1926) P. bimaculatus (Bleeker, 1863) (Redside barb) P. binotatus (Valenciennes, 1842) (Spotted barb) P. bovanicus (Day, 1878) (Bowany barb) P. brevis (Bleeker, 1850) P. burmanicus (Day, 1878) P. carnaticus (Jerdon, 1849) (Carnatic carp) P. cataractae (Fowler, 1934) P. cauveriensis (Hora, 1937) (Cauvery barb) P. chola (Hamilton, 1822) (Swamp barb) P. clemensi (Herre, 1924) P. compressiformis (Cockerell, 1913) P. coorgensis Jayaram, 1982 P. deccanensis Yazdani & Babu Rao, 1976 (Deccan barb) P. denisonii (Day, 1865) (Red line torpedo barb)

P. disa (Herre, 1932) P. dorsalis (Jerdon, 1849) (Long snouted barb) P. dorsimaculatus (Ahl, 1923) (Blackline barb) P. dunckeri (Ahl, 1929) (Bigspot barb) P. endecanalis (Roberts, 1989 P. eugrammus (Silas, 1956) (Striped barb) P. everetti (Boulenger, 1894) (Clown barb) P. fasciatus (Jerdon, 1849) (Melon barb) P. filamentosus (Valenciennes, 1844) (Blackspot barb) P. flavifuscus (Herre, 1924) P. foerschi (Kottelat, 1982) P. fraseri (Hora & Misra, 1938) (Dharna barb) P. guganio (Hamilton, 1822) (Glass-barb) P. hemictenus (Jordan & Richardson, 1908) P. herrei (Fowler, 1934) P. hexazona (Weber & de Beaufort, 1912) (Sixband barb) P. jacobusboehlkei (Fowler, 1958) P. katolo (Herre, 1924) P. kuchingensis (Herre, 1940) P. lanaoensis (Herre, 1924) P. lateristriga (Valenciennes, 1842) (Spanner barb) P. leiacanthus (Bleeker, 1860) P. lindog (Herre, 1924) P. lineatus (Duncker, 1904) (Lined barb) P. manalak (Herre, 1924) P. manguaoensis (Day, 1914) P. martenstyni Kottelat & Pethiyagoda, 1991 (Martenstyn's barb) P. masyai (Smith, 1945)

P. melanostigma (Day, 1878) (Wynaad barb) P. microps (Guenther, 1868) P. montanoi Sauvage, 1881 P. mudumalaiensis (Menon & Rema Devi, 1992) P. muzaffarpurensis (Srivastava, Verma & Sharma, 1977) P. okae (Fowler, 1949) P. oligolepis (Bleeker, 1853) (Checker barb) P. ophicephalus (Raj, 1941) (Channa barb) P. orphoides (Valenciennes, 1842) (Javaen barb) P. parrah (Day, 1865) P. partipentazona (Fowler, 1934) P. paucimaculatus Wang & Ni, 1982 P. pentazona (Boulenger, 1894) (Pentazona barb) P. pleurotaenia (Bleeker, 1863) (Black lined barb) P. punjaubensis (Day, 1871) P. rhombeus (Kottelat, 2000) P. rhomboocellatus (Koumans, 1940) P. roseipinnis (Valenciennes, 1842) (Pondicherry barb) P. sachsii (Ahl, 1923) (Goldfinned barb) P. sahyadriensis (Silas, 1953) (Khavli barb) P. sarana (Hamilton, 1822) (Olive barb) P. semifasciolatus (Guenther, 1868) (Gold barb) P. semifasciolatus var. schuberti P. setnai (Chhapgar & Sane, 1992) P. shalynius (Yazdani & Talukdar, 1975) (Shalyni barb) P. sirang (Herre, 1932) P. sophore (Hamilton, 1822) (Pool barb) P. srilankensis (Senanayake, 1985) (Blotched filamented barb) P. terio (Hamilton, 1822) (Onespot barb) P. titteya (Deraniyagala, 1929) (Cherry barb) P. tras (Herre, 1926) P. tumba (Herre, 1924) P. vittatus (Day, 1865) (Greenstripe barb) P. waageni (Day, 1871)

P. cochonius sub group

P. conchonius (Hamilton, 1822) (Rosy barb) P. cumingii (Guenther, 1868) (Two spot barb) P. didi Kullander & Fang, 2005 P. gelius (Hamilton, 1822) (Golden barb) P. meingangbii

P. narayani (Hora, 1937) (Narayan barb) P. nigrofasciatus (Guenther, 1868) (Black ruby barb) P. phutunio (Hamilton, 1822) (Spottedsail barb) P. punctatus P. puntio (Hamilton, 1822)

P. stoliczkanus (Day, 1871) (Tic-tac-toe barb) P. tetrazona (Bleeker, 1855) (Tiger barb) P. tiantian (Kullander & Fang), 2005 P. ticto (Hamilton, 1822) (Ticto barb) P. ticto var. odessae

References

1. ^ "Puntius". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 05 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
2. ^ Myers, P.; R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Retrieved on 2006-05-27.
3. ^ Cyprinidae: Cyprininae: genus Puntius (2005).

• Lambert, Derek J. Freshwater Aquarium Fish. (Edison, New Jersey: Chartwell Books, 1997), pgs. 14. ISBN 0-7858-0867-1
• The Bumper Book of Tropical Aquarium Fishes Compiled by Dick Mills. Interpet Publishing.