Genus
Barbonymus
- Species
- 3
- Photographed
- 3 of 3
- Difficulty rated
- 3 of 3
Where the name comes fromEdit
from the generic name Barbus, to which members of this genus were previously assigned, and Ancient Greek ἀνώνυμος (anṓnumos), meaning 'anonymous', since this group of fishes had previously lacked a proper generic name.
Barbonymus altusRed-tailed Tinfoil Barb
Günther, 1868
The red-tailed tinfoil barb, Barbonymus altus, is a large cyprinid from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. One of two species traded as 'tinfoil barb', it is usually sold at 50 to 75 mm with little information on its eventual size, and long-term care is beyond the resources of most hobbyists. Natural fish lack the black stripe along each caudal-fin lobe seen in B. schwanefeldii, and adults have a golden or bronze hue.
Barbonymus gonionotus
Bleeker, 1849
Barbonymus gonionotus is a large cyprinid with an enormous distribution across Southeast Asia, from the Mekong to Java and Sumatra. It inhabits larger, slow-moving rivers and their floodplains, moving into flooded forest to feed and spawn, and is increasingly found in man-made canals and lakes. Plain grey caudal and dorsal fins and pale yellow pelvic and anal fins separate it from congeners. Populations in Peninsular Malaysia appear to be introduced.
Barbonymus schwanefeldiiTinfoil barb
Bleeker, 1854
The tinfoil barb, Barbonymus schwanefeldii, is a large cyprinid found across much of Southeast Asia, from the Mekong to Borneo and Sumatra. Usually sold at 50 to 75 mm, it grows to 355 mm SL, and tinfoil barbs are among the species most often returned to shops having outgrown their aquarium. Selectively-bred 'golden' and 'blushing' strains exist, and the species has also been subjected to artificial dyeing.