Greenstripe barb

Taxobox
name = Greenstripe Barb
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Cypriniformes
familia = Cyprinidae
genus = "Puntius"
species = "P. vittatus"
binomial = "Puntius vittatus"
binomial_authority = (Day, 1865)
synonyms ="Barbus vittatus" (Day, 1865)

The Greenstripe Barb or Striped Barb ("Puntius vittatus") is a tropical freshwater and brackish fish belonging to the Cyprininae sub-family of the Cyprinidae family. It originates in inland waters in Asia, and is found in Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. Sometimes it is called Silver Barb, but that properly refers to "Barbus choloensis".

The greenstripe barb is an open water, substrate egg-scatterer, and adults do not guard the eggs.

Physical description

The fish will grow in length up to 2 inches (5 centimeters).

Habitat

It natively inhabits ponds, streams and lakes in plains. It is often found in rice fields and is known to enter brackish water. They live in a tropical climate in water with a 6.0 - 6.5 pH, a water hardness of 8 - 15 dGH, and a temperature range of 68 - 75 °F (20 - 24 °C). It feeds mainly on filamentous algae and blue-green algae.

Importance to humans

The greenstripe barb is of commercial importance in the aquarium trade and is also commonly used as bait.

Name origins

It was originally described as "Puntius vittatus" by F. Day in 1865, and has also been referred to in scientific literature as "Barbus vittatus". The word "vittatus" means "striped lengthwise", and is pronounced "vy-TAH-tus".

ee also

* List of freshwater aquarium fish species

References

* FishBase species alt
ID = 12170
taxon = Puntius vittatus
year = 2006
month = February