''Oreichthys'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of tropical barbs found in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Myanmar (Burma) Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, northern Malay Peninsula, and the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annual ...

basin in Laos. They are found in ditches, ponds, streams (both highland and lowland) and canals.Rahman, A.K.A. (1989): Freshwater fishes of Bangladesh.

Zoological Society of Bangladesh The Zoological Society of Bangladesh is an academic and scientific society of professional zoologist, devoted and dedicated for scientific inquiry in the field of Zoology. The Zoological Society of Bangladesh (ZSB) was established in 1972. It is ...

. Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka. 364 p. The genus ''Oreichthys'' (Smith 1933) was originally established to receive little fish collected in a small brook on Kao Sabap, an extensive mountain range near Chantaban,

.The Freshwater fishes of Siam, or Thailand by Hugh M. Smith. United States National Museum Bulletin 188. 1945

Species

There are currently 7 recognized species in this genus: * '' Oreichthys andrewi''

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

, 2014 Knight, J.D.M. (2014)
''Oreichthys andrewi'' (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) a new species from Assam, northeastern India.
''Journal of Threatened Taxa, 6 (1): 5357–5361.'' * '' Oreichthys coorgensis''

Jayaram Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965) known mononymously as Jayaram, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam,Tamil films, along with a few Telugu films. He is also a chenda percussionist, mimicry artist, and occasional ...

, 1982 * '' Oreichthys cosuatis'' F. Hamilton, 1822 * '' Oreichthys crenuchoides'' Schäfer, 2009 * '' Oreichthys duospilus''

& R. G. Kumar, 2015 Knight, J.D.M. & Kumar, R.G. (2015): A review of the species of ''Oreichthys'' (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) in the Western Ghats, India. ''Zootaxa, 3914 (2): 157–167.'' * '' Oreichthys incognito''

& R. G. Kumar, 2015 * '' Oreichthys parvus'' H. M. Smith, 1933

Physical description

All ''Oreichthys'', with the exception of ''O. crenuchoides'', possess a triangular-looking body, with the face being pointed. In ''O. crenuchoides'', the body and face are more rounded. The last simple dorsal ray is flexible and smooth. Scale count is 23 in the lengthwise series and 7 in the transverse series. The tube-bearing scales of the lateral line are restricted to the first 6 or 7 scales anteriorly. The head is marked by numerous fine rows of pores, mostly in parallel groups on the snout, cheeks, interorbital space, and operuclar bones. Barbels are absent.

Distribution

Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), northern Malay Peninsula, and the Mekong basin in Laos.

Habitat

''Oreichthys'' are found in ditches, ponds, streams (both highland and lowland) and canals.

Aquarium Maintenance

All ''Oreichthys'' species are easily maintained in aquaria. They are generally peaceful towards conspecifics and tankmates, even where the other fish may be smaller than they are. They appear to prefer cooler water temperatures, with 76 °F appearing to be the short-term upper limit unless auxiliary aeration is provided. They will feed on flake food, micro-pellets, frozen bloodworms, frozen mysis shrimp, and gelatin diet. All in all they are not fussy feeders, and adapt readily to captivity. pH should range from neutral to slightly alkaline with moderate water hardness.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q596326 Tropical fish Fish of Asia