FAMILY
Cyprinidae
taxonomy
Cyprinus rerio Hamilton, 1822, Kosi River, Utter Pradesh, India.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Zebra danio, striped danio; German: Zebrabärbling.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Small fish, rarely grows beyond 1.97–2.36 in (50–60 mm) in length. Body slender, slightly compressed. Two pairs of
barbels: rostral
barbels extend to anterior margin of orbit; maxillary
barbels end at about middle of opercle.
dorsal fin with 3 unbranched, 7 branched rays.
anal fin striped, with 3 unbranched, 10–12 branched rays.
lateral line incomplete or absent. Vertebrae 31–32. Body silvery, sometimes tinted with
gold, with five blue horizontal stripes on the sides. Stripes also present in the anal and
caudal fins.
DISTRIBUTION
Native to tributaries of the Ganges River, along the Coromandel Coast of India, from Calcutta to Masulipatam, Bengal, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. As
Aquarium fish and experimental animal, it has been introduced worldwide.
HABITAT
Slow-moving and still water bodies such as streams, canals, ditches, and ponds, particularly rice fields.
BEHAVIOR
Very active, usually swimming in schools.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds mainly on worms and small crustaceans. It also feeds on insect larvae and can be used for mosquito control.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Matures in 4–6 months. Females are larger and have less vibrant coloration than males. Typically, spawning occurs in the early hours of the morning. Eggs are semiadhesive, relatively large, and released into open waters. Under experimental conditions, this species spawns at intervals of 1.9 to 2.7 days. However, spawning intervals in nature are typically much longer, varying from 5 days to several weeks. Between 21 and 60 eggs are released per spawning event. In captivity, the total number of eggs spawned is usually between 400 and 500. Eggs hatch approximately 20–48 hours after spawning. Larvae live from 48 to 72 hours on their yolk-sac provision.
