The Asoka barb (''Systomus asoka'') is a species of
cyprinid
Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...
fish
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
where it is found in the upper reaches of the
Sitawaka River and its tributaries, and
Kelani near
Kitulgala
Kitulgala is a small town in the west of Sri Lanka. The Academy Award-winning ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' was filmed on the Kelani River near Kitulgala, although nothing remains now except the concrete foundations for the bridge. Kitulgala is ...
. This fish can reach a length of
TL.
Biology
Asoka barb inhabit relatively deep (1–2 m), fast-flowing water in areas with gravel or sand substrates. Juveniles ( 1–3 cm TL) shoal together in schools of 30–100 individuals in very shallow water (5–25 cm) downstream whereas adults occupy deeper water (1–2m) upstream. They usually occupy unshaded areas. They are fast swimmers and are not easily identified from water surface. This species can be found in
fresh water
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
which has 6.5–7.5 pH range and 25–30 °C temperature.
[
]
References
Systomus
Cyprinid fish of Asia
Freshwater fish of Sri Lanka
Endemic fauna of Sri Lanka
Fish described in 1989
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Barbinae-stub