The melon barb (''Haludaria fasciata'') is a common species of

cyprinid Cyprinidae is a Family (biology), family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family, including the carps, the true minnows, and their relatives the barb (fish), barbs and barbel (fish), barbels, among others. Cyprinidae is the ...

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to rivers in Goa,

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

in the Western Ghats of South India. They live in a

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

climate in water that typically has a pH of 6.0—6.5, a water hardness of around 5 dGH, and a temperature range of . It grows to a length of . This species can also be found in the aquarium trade. Melon barb - Puntius fasciatus - Vazhakka varayan

Melon barb - Puntius fasciatus - Vazhakka varayan

The melon barb is an open water, substrate egg-scatterer, and adults do not guard the eggs. Males in breeding condition flush red and develop fine nuptial tubercles on their snouts, used for bumping and rubbing the females to induce egg release.

References

melon barb The melon barb (''Haludaria fasciata'') is a common species of cyprinid fish that is endemic to rivers in Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the Western Ghats of South India. They live in a tropical The tropics are the regions of E ...

Freshwater fish of India Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats Fauna of South India

Taxa named by Thomas C. Jerdon {{Barbinae-stub

See also

References