Photo: Rupert A. Collins, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Snakeskin barb
Desmopuntius rhomboocellatus
5.5 cm
Adult size
90 L
Minimum volume
8
Minimum group
5 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Desmopuntius
- Diet
- carnivore
- Social life
- shoal
In the wild
Overview
Its species name describes the diamond-shaped eyespots on its flanks, and its genus (from the Greek for “prisoner”) its dark bars. Long placed in the vast genus Puntius, it joined the genus Desmopuntius, created in 2013.
- Scientific name
- Desmopuntius rhomboocellatus (Koumans, 1940)
- Classification
- Cypriniformes › Cyprinidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Indonesia: southern and western Kalimantan (Borneo), Kapuas, Barito and Kahayan basins
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives mainly in peat swamp forests and their blackwater streams, as well as other calm waters: brown, mineral-free water, sometimes at pH 3 to 4, with a bottom of leaves and roots, and grasses or submerged plants.
Behaviour
Peaceful, it suits a tank of Southeast Asian species of similar size (small cyprinids, loaches, calm anabantoids), without boisterous companions. A micropredator, it accepts fine dry food, to be supplemented every day with small live or frozen prey.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth