Puntius

The two-spotted barb, Puntius bimaculatus, is a small cyprinid from Sri Lanka and southern India. It lives in flowing hill streams and quieter stretches in the middle reaches of rivers, but tends to be absent from lowland environments. Also called the 'redside barb', it has 7 branched dorsal-fin rays and round dark spots at the base of the dorsal and caudal fins. Generally very peaceful, it is a schooling species and at least 6-10 should be kept.

The swamp barb, Puntius chola, is a cyprinid from much of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and western Thailand. Sometimes called the 'chola' or 'green' barb, it has a single pair of barbels and dark blotches behind the operculum and near the caudal-fin base. It apparently prefers stiller waters over mud or silt, and makes an ideal addition to a peaceful community of riverine fishes.

The glass barb, Puntius guganio, is a small cyprinid widespread in the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems of Bangladesh, Nepal and northern India. It lives in slow-moving or standing waters such as pools, ditches and minor rivers. Poorly known in the hobby, it is of uncertain taxonomic placement, and its stiff, serrated last dorsal-fin ray, incomplete lateral line and 36-39 lateral scales are shared only with 'P.' nangalensis.

Kami's barb, Puntius kamalika, is a cyprinid endemic to Sri Lanka, widespread in the southwestern 'wet zone' between the Kelani and Gin basins. Common throughout its range, it has been collected from rivers, streams and marshland. Before its description it was referred to as P. amphibius, a putatively valid species probably restricted to western India, and it lacks prominent markings on the body and fins.

The lined barb, 'Puntius' lineatus, is a laterally-striped cyprinid from Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo, found mostly in peat swamps. It is most often confused with 'P.' johorensis, the two being the most common of the striped species in the trade, but it has no more than one pair of barbels, lacks vertical bars as a juvenile and grows smaller. Its habitats include black water streams stained brown with humic acids, with pH as low as 3.0 or 4.0.

Puntius mahecola is a cyprinid from rivers draining much of the Western Ghats mountains in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states, southern India. The name was misapplied to members of Dawkinsia for over a century, while the fish itself was widely misidentified as P. amphibius. A relatively plain fish, it has a single dark blotch on the caudal peduncle behind the anal fin. D. assimilis and other Dawkinsia species appear on trade lists as 'mahecola barb'.

The maharaja barb, Puntius sahyadriensis, is a cyprinid endemic to the northern and central Western Ghats mountains of India. It lives in hill streams shaded by the forest canopy and dense marginal vegetation, over boulders, stones, sand or gravel. The angular body, colour pattern and enlarged male dorsal fin make it difficult to confuse with any other member of the genus, and it is occasionally traded as the 'Khavli' barb.

Puntius sharmai is a small cyprinid known only from a handful of localities around Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. It mostly inhabits ponds and lakes, many of them in urban areas under pressure from urbanisation. Very peaceful but small and timid, it does best alone or with other diminutive species, and it is almost unheard of in the hobby outside India.

'Puntius' snyderi is a cyprinid from central and northern Taiwan, found in shallow margins of slow streams, irrigation canals and ponds. Almost identical to the wild form of 'P.' semifasciolatus, the 'golden barb' of the hobby, it is reliably told apart externally only by its tiny, indistinct barbels. It is also a deeper-bodied fish with 4-5 main dark markings on the flank, and the two differ genetically.

The onespot barb, Puntius terio, is a cyprinid widely distributed from Pakistan through northern India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Its range covers parts of the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra drainages, where it apparently prefers stiller waters over mud or silt. Populations vary in colour pattern to an extent, but all share a diffuse yellow-golden marking on the operculum and a dark spot on the caudal peduncle.

The cherry barb, Puntius titteya, is a small cyprinid endemic to the Kelani and Nilwala river basins in the southwestern 'wet zone' of Sri Lanka. Among the most ubiquitous small cyprinids in the hobby and an unreserved choice for beginners, it is sold mostly as commercially farmed stock, including albino and 'super red' strains. Generally very peaceful, it is a schooling species and at least 6-10 should be kept.

The greenstripe barb, Puntius vittatus, is a small cyprinid widely distributed in India, with further populations in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Sometimes called the 'kooli barb', it lacks barbels and has a vertical black streak and an orange-marked black tip on the dorsal fin. It most commonly occurs in lowland streams, pools, irrigation channels and rice paddies over mud or silt, and is not an especially popular aquarium fish despite its wide range.