Photo: Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Jaintia danio
Danio jaintianensis
5 cm
Adult size
80 L
Minimum volume
10
Minimum group
3 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Danio
- Diet
- carnivore
- Social life
- shoal
In the wild
Overview
Described in 2007 by the Indian ichthyologist Nibedita Sen, this danio is named after the Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, where the type series came from. Some authors place it in the genus Brachydanio, with the zebra danio.
Like its cousins, it is recognised by the dark horizontal stripes on its body and fins; it is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN and remains rare in the hobby.
- Scientific name
- Danio jaintianensis (Sen, 2007)
- Classification
- Cypriniformes › Danionidae
- IUCN Red List
- Vulnerable (VU)
Natural habitat
Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya State (northeast India)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
Meghalaya is a region of wooded hills among the wettest in the world, where many upland streams are very fast. This species seems confined to the calmer small hill streams, over gravel and stones, lined with dense vegetation overhanging the water.
Its mid-altitude climate explains why it prefers cool water, between 18 and 23 °C.
Behaviour
Peaceful, it lives in a shoal and should be kept in a group of at least 8 to 10. Its need for cool water makes it poorly suited to a classic tropical community aquarium: a species tank, or one shared with cool-water species (small cyprinids, loaches, Rhinogobius gobies, shrimp), suits it better.
It feeds mainly on insects and their larvae. Its breeding in the aquarium is not documented, but it should resemble that of other danios: scattered eggs, with no parental care.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth