Many species of Indian barbs belong to the most popular ornatmental fish at all. This is due to their brillant colours, the peacefulness and the easy keeping of these fish. A new species – Barbus manipurensis, which we can offer currently – has the potential to become also such a evergreen. The fish has been described scientifically only in 2000. It originates from the Indian state of Manipur. The fish´s name derives from that state, too. The closest relatives of B. manipurensis are the Red Sunspot Barb (B. stoliczkanus) and the Odessa Barb (B. padamya).*
At least the wild collected B. manipurensis, which we offer now, are the smallest of the three and reach only a total length of 3-4 cm. That makes them an attractive alternative for aquarists that own only smaller tanks.
Males in breeding coloration cannot be taken for mistake due to the wonderful red stripe along the body that also led to the popular name of the fish (jasper is an opaque variety of silicia, which is used as a gemrock, especially the red varieties), but it is also possible to distinguish the sexes on the basis of another, always visible feature: the iris of males is bright red, the iris of the female yellowish.
*All mentioned species can also be applied to the genus Puntius.
For our customers: the species has code 370012 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Barbus: Latin, means “the bearded one”, referring to the barbels. Puntius: from the Bengal term “Punti” for such barbs. manipurensis: after the Indian state of Manipur. stoliczkanus: dedicated to the collector of the species, Ferdinand Stoliczka (1838-1874). padamya: padamya is the Burmese word for “ruby”.
Suggestion of a common name: Red Jasper Barb
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
| Angaben zum Tier | |
|---|---|
| Herkunft | Indien / India |
| Verfügbare Größe in cm | 3-4 |
