Edit Garra notata

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Name

Scientific name

Garra notata

Described by

Authority Blyth, Year 1860, Bracketed

Family

Cyprinidae

Common names

Not recorded

Photograph credits

All 2 credited

Summary

Garra notata is a cyprinid known with certainty from the Salween basin in Myanmar, China and Thailand, and the Tenasserim drainage. Records…

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

120mm, standard length

Aquarium size

Not recorded

Water

Water conditions

Not recorded

Hardness

Not recorded

Conductivity

Not recorded

Behaviour

Temperament

Not recorded

Community suitability

Community-safe

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

China, Myanmar, Thailand, Ataran, Kasat, Salween, Tanintharyi, Tenasserim

Writing

Etymology

Garra: vernacular Gangetic name for a particular species of “sand-digger,” which Francis Buchanan-Hamilton applied as a generic name for bottom-dwelling cyprin…

Distribution

Known with certainty from the Salween river basin in Myanmar, southern China (Yunnan province) and western Thailand, plus the Tenasserim (Tanintharyi) drainage…

Habitat

Tends to inhabit swiftly-flowing sections of headwaters and tributaries rather than larger, lowland river channels. The most favourable habitats contain clear,…

Aquarium size

Not written yet

Maintenance

Not written yet

Water conditions

Not written yet

Diet

Not written yet

Behaviour and compatibility

Not written yet

Sexual dimorphism

Not written yet

Reproduction

Not written yet

Notes

G. notata is one of a number of congeners to lack both a transverse groove and a proboscis on the snout. It also possesses 33-34 lateral line scales and a seri…

G. notata is one of a number of congeners to lack both a transverse groove and a proboscis on the snout. It also possesses 33-34 lateral line scales and a series of dark spots at the base of the dorsal-fin rays, and lacks scales on the lower portion of the body and abdomen.

The genus Garra is a particularly enigmatic grouping with new taxa described on a regular basis, while many of the existing ones may represent cases of misidentification or synonyms of other species. Some of the revisions have also been called into question, which has added further confusion. A full generic review would be ideal but is unlikely to materialise given the extensive distribution of its members which range from southern China across much of southeast Asia, India and the Middle East as far as north/central Africa.

Instead a number of less-extensive works published in recent years have resulted in a gradual, but continuing, improvement in knowledge, and it remains possible that the genus will be broken up into smaller taxa since the current assemblage is almost certainly polyphyletic.

Garra species are usually included in the subfamily Labeoninae/Cyprininae or tribe Labeonini (name varies with author) which by recent thinking is further divided into four subtribes; Labeoina, Garraina, Osteochilina, and Semilabeoina (Yang et al., 2012)[6]. The putatively monophyletic Garraina comprises a number of genetic lineages including Garra sensu stricto (which also includes Horalabiosa, Phreatichthys and possibly other genera), a small clade comprising Garra cambodgiensis and G. fascicauda (thus rendering Garra polyphyletic), Paracrossocheilus, and Gonorhynchus (which includes Akrokolioplax).

Two Garra species, G. imberba and G. micropulvinus, are placed in the Semilabeoina assemblage, and the generic name Ageneiogarra Garman, 1912 has been suggested for them, although this does not appear to have been widely followed (e.g. Kottelat, 2013). In addition, some genera which were previously considered to be close relatives of Garra species such as Discogobio, Discocheilus and Placocheilus, are now also placed in this subtribe.

All genera currently included in Garraina possess a lower lip modified to form a mental adhesive disc, allowing the fish to cling to surfaces in turbulent conditions. In most species the upper lip is almost entirely reduced and both the upper and lower jaw margins are keratinised, i.e., horny, and used to scrape food items from the substrate.

Garra species are distinguished from other Garraina members by the first two pectoral-fin rays usually being thickened, fleshy and unbranched, possession of 10-11 dorsal-fin rays, and a combination of internal characters. Some species have evolved particular environmental specialisms such as highly reduced eyes in hypogean forms or the ability to survive in thermal springs.

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References

6 on this profile

Name

Scientific name

Described by

Family

Common names

Photograph credits

Summary

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

Aquarium size

Water

Water conditions

Hardness

Conductivity

Behaviour

Temperament

Social needs

Community suitability

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Writing

Etymology

Distribution

Habitat

Aquarium size

Maintenance

Water conditions

Diet

Behaviour and compatibility

Sexual dimorphism

Reproduction

Notes

References

References