| Barbus | |
|---|---|
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| Barbus barbus | |
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| Barbus plebejus | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Subfamily: | Barbinae |
| Genus: | Barbus Daudin, 1805[1][2] |
| Type species | |
| Cyprinus barbus | |
Barbus is agenus ofray-finned fish in thefamilyCyprinidae. Thetype species ofBarbus is thecommon barbel, first described asCyprinus barbus and now namedBarbus barbus.Barbus is the namesake genus of thesubfamily Barbinae, but given their relationships, thattaxon is better included in theCyprininae at least for the largest part (including the type species ofBarbus).
Their common names –barbs andbarbels – refer to the fact that most members of the genera have a pair ofbarbels on their mouths, which they can use to search for food at the bottom of the water.
Barbels are oftenfished for food; in some locations they are of commercial significance. Theroe of barbels is poisonous, however. The largeBarbus barbs are also often eaten in their native range.
The smaller barbs are in some cases traded asaquarium fish. Some are quite significant, but as a whole, the genus is not yet as well represented in aquaria as theSoutheast AsianPuntius.[3]
Barbus has a long history as a "wastebasket taxon". Historically, most fish commonly known as "barbs" were usually placed here by default. More recently, many "barbs" have been reclassified into genera such asArabibarbus,Barbichthys,Barbodes,Barboides,Barbonymus,Barbopsis,Caecobarbus,Capoeta,Carasobarbus,Clypeobarbus,Enteromius,Hypselobarbus,Hypsibarbus,Labeobarbus,Leptobarbus,Luciobarbus,Mesopotamichthys,Poropuntius,Probarbus,Pseudobarbus,Puntioplites andPuntius.[4]
Thus,Barbus is for the time being restricted to typical barbels, and only contains fishes fromAfrica andEurope, as well as adjacentAsia. However, the genus even in the reduced version is probablyparaphyletic, and many African species (particularly the small ones) do not seem to belong here, either. Eventually,Barbus is likely to be restricted to the group aroundB. barbus – the large European toPonto-Caspian species commonly known as "barbels".Luciobarbus and particularlyMessinobarbus are highly similar and might better be included inBarbus again. They all seem to be close relatives – perhaps the closest living relatives – ofAulopyge huegelii.Carasobarbus andLabeobarbus are probably closely related to this group, too, and some largehexaploid barbs (e.g.L. reinii) may well belong inLabeobarbus.[citation needed]
The small barbs from Africa, by contrast, are quite distinct. They might even warrant establishment of a newsubfamily – in particular if theLabeoninae are not included in the Cyprininae –, as they seem to be as distinct from barbels andtypical carps, as these are from thegarras (which are part of the disputed Labeoninae), rendering the old "Barbinae"paraphyletic. Within the small African barbs, several lineages can be recognized. These are mostlydiploid; atetraploid group largely restricted to southern Africa is very close toPseudobarbus and might even be included therein. In particular, the group called "redfins" may well bemonophyletic and belong inPseudobarbus entirely, instead of being split betweenPseudobarbus andBarbus.[citation needed]
These are the currently recognized species of this genus:[5]
A fossil species (Barbus megacephalusGünther, 1876) is known from thePaleogeneSipang Fauna ofIndonesia.,[6] but it probably should be placed in another genus.
barbus megacephalus.
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