Bitterling barb
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Bitterling barb ( Puntius titteya ) female (above), male (below) |
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| Puntius titteya | ||||||||||||
| Deraniyagala , 1929 |
The bitterling barbel ( Puntius titteya ) is a freshwater fish from the carp family (Cyprinidae) endemic to the island of Sri Lanka .
distribution
The bitterling barb lives in the south of Sri Lanka in slowly flowing forest streams and rivers of the plains, including in the Nilwala and Kelani , which reaches the sea near Colombo . Because of the destruction of natural habitats, the bitterling barbel - like all freshwater fish species endemic to Sri Lanka - is endangered.
Appearance
Bitterling barbs are 4 to 5 centimeters long. There are different color variations, which are mainly shown in the basic colors of the males, while the females are predominantly yellow. In the aquarium hobby the red form is almost exclusively represented. The coloring of the males intensifies during courtship. Both sexes have a dark longitudinal ligament, which is more pronounced in the females. Males have larger fins than females. Bitterling barbels have a pair of barbels .
Aquaristics
The bitterling barb was first introduced to Germany in 1936 for keeping aquariums. Since it is unproblematic to keep, it is a standard offer in aquarium stores.
literature
- Robert Donoso-Büchner: Barbel . Bede Verlag, Ruhmannsfelden 2002, ISBN 3-933646-98-7 .
- Helmut Stallknecht : barbels and barbels . Tetra Verlag, Münster 1994, ISBN 3-89745-116-6 .
- Günther Sterba : The world's freshwater fish. 2nd Edition. Urania, Leipzig / Jena / Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-332-00109-4 .
Web links
- Bitterling barb on Fishbase.org (English)
- Detailed report on aquarium keeping, breeding and occurrence by Helmut Stallknecht
- Puntius titteya in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Pethiyagoda, R., 1996. Retrieved on October 18, 2006.