| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | ACTINOPTERYGII | CYPRINIFORMES | CYPRINIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Barbus oxyrhynchus | |||
| Species Authority: | Pfeffer, 1889 | |||
Common Name/s:
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| Taxonomic Notes: | The genus Barbus (Cyprinidae) is restricted to a small number of species mainly inhabiting the European ichthyographic region including Northeast Africa. Most of the African species that are currently included in the genus, taxonomically do not appear to be closely related to the genus Barbus sensu strictu. However, no attempts have yet been made at an adequate nomenclature of the African forms. We therefore follow Berrebi et al. (1996) and use in this paper the term ‘Barbus’ for the cyprinid fish species which were previously considered as Barbus (Seegers et al., unpublished).The taxonomic status of various Kenyan populations is not yet fully settled (Seegers et al,, unpublished). Recorded under various synonymous names: Barbus tanensis Günther, 1894, B. hindii Boulenger, 1902, B. perplexicans Boulenger, 1902, B. labiatus Boulenger, 1902, B. krapfi Boulenger, 1911, B. mathoiae Boulenger, 1911, B. ahlselli Lönnberg, 1911, B. athi Hubbs, 1918, B. babaulti Pellegrin, 1926, B. nairobi Holly, 1928 and B. donyensis Holly, 1929 (see Seegers et al., unpublished).Barbus coplae (a nomen nudum) reported from the Athir River by Copley (1941) most likely refers to B. oxyrhynchus (Seegers et al., unpublished). | |||
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Least Concern ver 3.1 |
| Year Assessed: | 2006 |
| Assessor/s | Vreven, E. |
| Evaluator/s: | Snoeks, J. (Freshwater Fish Red List Authority) & Darwall, W. (Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Programme) |
|
Justification: A common species (see Copley 1952). Occurs in several major river basins in Kenya and Tanzania. No major widespread threats identified |
|
| Range Description: | Upper Pangani drainage, Athi and Tana River systems (Upper and middle courses) and the northern Ewaso Nyiro (Seegers et al. unpub.). A record by Copley (1941) of B. gregorii (non Boulenger) from the Tana River is a misidentification for 'B.' oxyrhynchus (Seegers et al. unpub.). |
| Countries: |
Native:
Kenya; Tanzania, United Republic of
|
| Population: | The most abundant species of large Barbus within both rivers (Copley 1952). |
| Population Trend: |
Unknown
|
| Habitat and Ecology: | Can be found in any part of the river, but moves upstream in April to the fast-running waters to spawn. The eggs are large and are deposited in and about stony gravel where they lodge in the crevices between the stones. After spawning the fish keep in the fast water to clean themselves and then moving downstream spread all over the river (Copley 1958). The limit of upward movement in the river is 5,000 feet where the cooler water temperature acts as a deterrent (Copley 1958). It is found in shoals in the big pools and runs (Copley 1952). It is onmivorous. Max. size: 40.0 cm SL (after Froese and Pauly 2003). |
| Systems: | Freshwater |
| Major Threat(s): | Commercial fisheries (after Froese and Pauly 2003). |
| Conservation Actions: | Unknown. |
| Citation: | Vreven, E. 2006. Barbus oxyrhynchus. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2010. |
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