Puntius

Not to be confused with Puntigrus.
Spotted barbs
Puntius titteya
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Subfamily: Barbinae
Genus: Puntius
F. Hamilton, 1822
Type species
Cyprinus sophore
F. Hamilton, 1822

Puntius is a genus of cyprinid fishes known as the spotted barbs for the predominant pattern, though many have vertical black bands instead. This genus is native to South Asia and Mainland Southeast Asia, with a single species in Taiwan. Species found elsewhere (e.g., the Philippines) have been moved to other genera such as Barbodes.[1]

Etymology

The name Puntius comes from pungti, a Bengali term for small cyprinids.

Puntius of Bangladesh

Taxonomy

Historically, many species of Puntius have been classified in several genera, including Barbus. Despite the reclassifications, the specific epithet remains the same in these – except in cases of homonymies – as Barbus and Puntius have the same grammatical gender. The closest living relatives of the spotted barbs are the Cyprinion barbs, the Assamese kingfish (Cyprinion semiplotum), and perhaps the Capoeta barbs. These and the other "typical" barbs and barbels were formerly often separated as subfamily Barbinae, but this group is highly paraphyletic with regard to the Cyprininae and better merged there at least for the largest part (including Puntius). In particular the genus Barbonymus, containing the tinfoil barb and its relatives – for some time included in Puntius – appears to be a kind of carp that has evolved convergently with barbs.

Description

Fishes of the genus Puntius are found in South Asia (west to Pakistan and south to Sri Lanka) and Mainland Southeast Asia, with a single species, P. snyderi, in Taiwan. The greatest species richness is in India. The maximum size for an adult of this genus is less than 25 cm (9.8 in), typically 7–15 cm (2.8–5.9 in), and many species only achieve around 5 cm (2.0 in) adult length. In appearance they may resemble miniature carp and are often brightly coloured or patterned.

These fishes are omnivorous; their diet includes small invertebrates 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.

In the aquarium

These small tropical barbs are commonly kept as inhabitants of a warm water aquarium, and many species are commercially available. Breeds with elongated fins or differing colors have been produced of some of the more extensively traded species. Puntius barbs are easy to feed, taking a wide variety of foods including dried food. Note that these inquisitive fish are active and unafraid, and many species have a reputation as "fin-nippers". These are unsuitable for aquaria with slow-moving, long-finned species.

Commonly kept Puntius species include:

Species

There are currently 55 recognized species in this genus:[2][3]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Puntius.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kottelat, M. (2013): The Fishes of the Inland Waters of Southeast Asia: A Catalogue and Core Bibliography of the Fishes Known to Occur in Freshwaters, Mangroves and Estuaries. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 2013, Supplement No. 27: 1–663.
  2. ↑ Pethiyagoda R., Meegaskumbura M., Maduwage K. (2012). "A synopsis of the South Asian fishes referred to Puntius (Pisces: Cyprinidae)" (PDF). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 23 (1): 69–95.
  3. ↑ Raghavan R., Philip S., Ali A., Dahanukar N. (2013). "Sahyadria, a new genus of barbs (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Western Ghats of India" (PDF). Journal of Threatened Taxa 5 (15): 4932–4938. doi:10.11609/jott.o3673.4932-8.
  4. ↑ Plamoottil M (2015). "Puntius dolichopterus, a new fish species (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae), from Kerala, India". International Journal of Pure and Applied Zoology 3 (3): 226–231.
  5. ↑ Krishna Kumar, K., Benno Pereira, F.G. & Radhakrishnan, K.V. (2012): Puntius madhusoodani (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), a new species of barb from Manimala River, Kerala, South India. Biosystematica, 5 (2) [2011]: 31-37.
  6. 1 2 3 Plamoottil, M. (2015). "Puntius nelsoni, Systomus chryseus and S. rufus (cypriniformes: cyprinidae), three new fish species from Kerala, India" (PDF). International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies 1 (6): 135–145.
  7. ↑ Plamoottil, M. (2015). "Puntius nigronotus, a new fish species (cypriniformes; cyprinidae) from Kerala, India." (PDF). Journal of Research in Biology 4 (8): 1581–1588.
  8. ↑ Plamoottil M., Abraham N.P. (2014). "Puntius viridis (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae), a new fish species from Kerala, India" (PDF). Journal of Research in Biology 3 (7): 1093–1104.
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