Puntius partipentazona
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| Puntius partipentazona (Fowler, 1934) |
Puntius partipentazona is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Cyprininae sub-family of the Cyprinidae family. It originates in inland waters in Asia, and is found in the Mekong, Mae Khlong, and Chao Phraya basins of Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, and coastal streams of southeast Thailand and Cambodia. It was originally described as Barbus partipentazona by Henry Weed Fowler in 1934, and has also been referred to in scientific literature as Systomus partipentazona. It is frequently misidentified as tiger barb (Puntius tetrazona).
The fish will grow in length up to 1.5 inches (4 centimeters). The fish is silver to brownish yellow with three broad black vertical stripes on the body, a fourth across the eye, and a black blotch at the base of the dorsal fin, which also has a streak of red. This streak of red is slightly brighter in males than females, which, except for the shape, is the only outward indication of sex. At first glance, the fish appears to be identical to the tiger barb. However, when compared side-to-side, it can be seen that on P. tetrazona, the middle body stripe extends completely through the dorsal fin. On P. partipentazona, the blotch on the dorsal fin is not part of any of the body stripes, the colors are brighter, and the anal fin shows red.
It natively inhabits the midwater to lower depths of small streams and weedy impoundments. It is most abundant in weedy impoundments with dense growth of aquatic plants. They live in a tropical climate in water with a 7.0pH, a water hardness of 12 dGH, and a temperature range of 72 - 77 °F (22 - 25 °C). It feeds mainly on zooplankton, along with some insect larvae and plant matter.
Puntius partipentazona is an open water, substrate egg-scatterer, and adults do not guard the eggs. It spawns in dense plant growth, and its eggs are sticky. Its specific epithet, partipentazona, means "partly fize-zoned".
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- "Puntius partipentazona". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Dr. William T. Innes (1966). Exotic Aquarium Fishes, 19th Edition. Maywood, New Jersey: Metaframe Corporation, Division of Mattel, Inc., page 249.
