Java barb

The Java barb (Barbonymus gonionotus; Thai: ตะเพียน Ta-phian; Lao: Pa keng; Khmer: ត្រីឆ្ពិន Trey Chpin; Indonesian: Tawes; Vietnamese: Mè Vinh), more commonly known as silver barb in aquaculture, or Java carp, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Barbonymus.

Habitat

The Java barb is found in the middle of the water column to the bottom in rivers, streams, floodplains, and sometimes in reservoirs. It shows and apparent preference for still water habitats rather than flowing waters. During periods of raised water levels it moves into flooded forest. Its diet consists of plant matter such as leaves, weeds, Ipomoea reptans and Hydrilla as well as some invertebrates. It is not a long distance migrant but is a local migrant in the Mekong showing a rainy season movement from the main river channel into small streams and canals and then into flooded areas returning as the water recedes. The upstream migration of the Java barb seems to be triggered by the first rains and rising water levels.

Distribution

The Java barb's natural distribution ranges from Vietnam, where it has been recorded in the Mekong Delta and Dong Nai River, through the basin of the Mekong to the Chao Phraya basin in Thailand. It is also found on Sumatra and Java and has been recorded from the Rajang River basin in Sarawak, Borneo. An introduced population has been found in Peninsular Malaysia.