Esomus danricus
| Indian Flying Barb | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Genus: | Esomus |
| Species: | E. danricus |
| Binomial name | |
| Esomus danricus (F. Hamilton, 1822) | |
Esomus danricus, a Danionin known as the Indian Flying Barb is one of the species known as Flying Barbs owing to their extremely long barbels. Danricus was discovered as long ago as 1822 by Hamilton. However, lacking the spectacular beauty of the Danios it is rarely seen in the aquarist hobby. Endemic to India in the Himalayan foothills, it is found in the same localities as Danio rerio and Danio dangila, an example being the Jorai Rivulet, a tributary of the Sankosh river in Coochbehar district, West Bengal, India. The rare fish Borellius spp. is locally named "Boirali maach".
Description
This fish reaches a maximum length of 6 in (15 cm). Esomus danricus is a silver fish with a black line on an elongated body and gold fins. Barbels reach almost to the anal fin.
Behaviour
This fish has an exceptional ability for jumping, hence its name.
Research in 2001 by Fang Fang suggests that the genus Esomus is the most closely related genus to the Danios, closer even than the Devario genus.
- Temperature preference: 20-25 Celsius
- pH preference: 7.6
- Hardness preference: Soft to medium
- Salinity preference: Zero
- Compatibility: Good but fast like most danios, a largeish fish, needs plenty of space
- Life span: Typically 3 to 5 years
- Ease of keeping: Moderate
- Ease of breeding: Moderate to hard
- A tank with a tight fitting lid with no gaps is recommended.
References
- Esomus danricus on FishBase]
- Abstract of Fang, F., 2003. Phylogenetic analysis of the Asian cyprinid genus Danio (telesotei, Cyprinidae).. Copeia (4):714-728.