''Leptobarbus rubripinna'', also known as the Sultan barb or Red-Finned Cigar Barb , is a species of freshwater

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Leptobarbidae ''Leptobarbus'', the cigar barbs, is a genus of cyprinoid ray-finned fishes, it is the only genus in the monotypic family Leptobarbidae. The fishes in this genus are native to freshwater habitats in Southeast Asia. They are important food fish. I ...

, the cigar barbs. This fish occurs in south-east Asia.

Taxonomy

It was until recently considered to be conspecific with ''

Leptobarbus hoevenii ''Leptobarbus hoevenii'', Hoven's carp, mad barb or sultan fish, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leptobarbidae, the cigar barbs. Named in honor of Bleeker's fellow Dutchman, "le célèbre professeur de zoologi ...

'' but it is now considered to be a separate species, although they share English vernacular names under which both species may appear in the aquarium trade. One of these names, "mad barb", refers to its behavior when apparently intoxicated after consuming some types of poisonous fruit.

Distribution

It is a common but never abundant species that occurs in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam in the drainages of the Mekong,

Chao Praya The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

and

Mae Klong The Mae Klong (, , ), sometimes spelled Meklong, is a river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, o ...

rivers where it is threatened by damming and deforestation, which destroys the seasonally flooded forest this species often feeds in.

Habitat

It is a migratory species that moves from the deltas and estuaries upstream to spawn, this occurs in January and February in the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...

with the fish returning downstream in May and June. It feeds on insects and fruits, even poisonous fruits and as a result of this diet its flesh sometimes becomes toxic, although this species is harvested as a food fish. Adult fish seem to prefer deeper areas in the river such as pools or slow-moving stretches, although they will occur in faster-flowing stretches when feeding.

In cultivation

As an aquarium fish, it is really only suitable for large public displays and it grows too large for most tanks, reaching sizes of up to 1 meter in length. It is a popular quarry for sport anglers in south-east Asia.

References

{{taxonbar, from=Q5590468 rubripinna Fish of Thailand Fish described in 1937