Giant barb
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| Giant barb | ||||||||||||||
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| Catlocarpio siamensis (Boulenger, 1898) |
The giant barb or Siamese giant carp, Catlocarpio siamensis, is the largest species of carp in the world. These migratory fish are found only in the Mae Klong, Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins. This fish is a desirable food fish, which may have caused a serious decline in its numbers.[1]
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[edit] Distribution and Habitat
They are usually seen in the big pools along the edges of large rivers, but will seasonally enter smaller canals, floodplains and flooded forests. Young barbs are usually found in smaller tributaries and swamps, but can acclimatize to living in ponds, canals and swamps.[1]
These are migratory fish, swimming to favorable areas for feeding and breeding in different parts of the year.[1] These slow-moving fish subsist on algae, phytoplankton and fruits of inundated terrestrial plants, rarely (if ever) feeding on active animals. In the lower Mekong basin, young giant barbs have been reported as occurring primarily in October.[1]
[edit] Physical Characteristics
The head is rather large for the body. There are no barbels.[1]
The giant barb ranks among the largest freshwater fish in the world and is probably the largest fish in the family Cyprinidae.[2] Few individuals are under 1½ m (5 ft) and 45 kg (100 lb). Large examples of this species can be 3 m (10 ft) and 300 kg (660 lb).[1] Among the carps, only the Mahseer reached comparable dimensions, but large mahseers have only been recorded in centuries past.
This fish is actually tetraploid, meaning that it has four of each chromosome (as opposed to diploid, the normal number in animals).[2]
[edit] Conservation Status
These fish have been reported as heavily depleted, mainly because they are locally regarded as a delicacy. Few barbs, whether due to human predation or natural predation, live to maturity. However, they are not listed as in the IUCN Red List.[1]. Only ten fish were caught in 2000, according to the Mekong River Commission.
