''Oreichthys'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of tropical barbs found in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Myanmar (Burma) Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

, northern

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

, and 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 ...

basin in

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

. 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. 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 Chantaburi,

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

Species

These are the currently recognized species in this genus: * '' Oreichthys andrewi''

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a 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. The concept of a knighthood ...

, 2014 * '' Oreichthys coorgensis'' (

Jayaram Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965), is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil cinema, Tamil, Telugu cinema, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Bhojpuri language films. He is also a chenda ...

, 1982) * '' Oreichthys cosuatis'' (

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, 1822) * '' Oreichthys crenuchoides'' Schäfer, 2009 * '' Oreichthys duospilus'' Knight & Kumar, 2015 * '' Oreichthys incognito'' Knight & Kumar, 2015 * '' Oreichthys parvus'' H. M. Smith, 1933 * '' Oreichthys warjaintia'' Dann, Dahanukar & Raghavan, 2024

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 Smiliogastrinae Taxa named by Hugh McCormick Smith Tropical fish Fish of Asia