Swamp barb


The swamp barb or chola barb, Puntius chola, is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the subfamily Cyprininae of the family Cyprinidae. It originates in inland waters in Asia, and is found in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Myanmar. Puntius brevis is also sometimes known as swamp barb.

Common name

The common name is swamp barb.
It is also known as Puthi in Bengali.

Description

The fish will grow in length up to 6 inches and weigh up to 60 grams.

Habitat

It natively inhabits streams, rivers, canals, mangroves, marshes, swamps, ponds, and inundated fields, mainly in shallow water. They live in a tropical climate in water with a 6.0 - 6.5 pH, a water hardness of 8 - 15 dGH, and a temperature range of. It feeds on worms, benthic crustaceans, insects, and plant matter.

Importance to humans

The swamp barb is of commercial importance in the aquarium trade and the fisheries industry.

Breeding

The swamp barb is an open water, substrate egg-scatterer, and adults do not guard the eggs.
During breeding time, the males display very prominent red bands, which lasts for around two days, while females display red stripes which last around 5 hours.
See: http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/apr102008/922.pdf for colour photos of P chola in courtship.

Name origins

The swamp barb was originally named Cyprinus chola by Dr. Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1822, and has also been referred to in scientific literature as Puntius titius, Barbus chola, Capoeta chola, or Barbus titius. In Bengali:পুঁটি