''Labeobarbus bynni'', the Niger barb, is an African species of
cyprinid freshwater fish. It has often been placed in the genus ''
Barbus'', but is now usually placed in ''
Labeobarbus''.
[ This is a relatively large barb, up to in total length.][
]
Distribution and habitat
''Labeobarbus bynni'' is found in tropical West, Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
ranging from Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
to Ethiopia. It occurs south as far as Kenya and Uganda, and north along the Nile to Egypt.[ It is found in freshwater habitats like lakes and rivers.][
]
Feeding
''Labeobarbus bynni'' feeds on crustaceans (including ostracods), insects (including chironomid larvae), mollusc
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
s, small algae
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...
, and organic debris.[
]
Breeding
The breeding season extends from March to April.[
]
Subspecies
There are three subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
:[
* ''Labeobarbus bynni bynni'' (Forsskål, 1775): Much of the Nile river system, including ]Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana (), formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, in northern Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. B ...
and Lake Albert.
* ''Labeobarbus bynni occidentalis'' Boulenger, 1911 – Niger Barb: This subspecies is found in the Chad
Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
, Niger, Senegal, Volta
Volta may refer to:
Persons
* Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), Italian physicist and inventor of the electric battery, count and eponym of the volt
* Giovanni Volta (1928–2012), Italian Roman Catholic bishop
* Giovanni Serafino Volta (1764–184 ...
, Ouémé and Ogun river basins in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.
* ''Labeobarbus bynni waldroni'' Norman, 1935: Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana in the Sassandra
Sassandra is a town in southern Ivory Coast. It is a sub-prefecture of and the seat of Sassandra Department. It is also a commune and the seat of Gbôklé Region in Bas-Sassandra District.
Sassandra lies on the Gulf of Guinea at the mouth of th ...
, Bandama, Niouniourou, Comoe and Tano rivers.
Common threats
Overall ''Labeobarbus bynni'' is widespread and faces no major threats, and consequently it has been evaluated as least concern by the IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
. However, some local populations of ''L. bynni'' may be threatened by dams, water pollution, groundwater extraction, and drought.[
]
References
bynni
Fish described in 1775
Taxa named by Peter Forsskål
{{Cyprininae-stub