Barbodes sellifer

Species of fish

Saddled barb

Scientific classification
Domain:  | Eukaryota
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Actinopterygii
Order:  | Cypriniformes
Family:  | Cyprinidae
Genus:  | Barbodes
Species:  |

B. sellifer

Binomial name
Barbodes sellifer

Kottelat & Lim 2021

Barbodes sellifer, the saddled barb, is a species of cyprinid fish described in 2021.[1] This species has not been reported sold in the aquarium trade, but where the species is present reports of them being kept by aquarists are abundant.

Previously thought to be a variant of Barbodes banksi, it and B. zakariaismaili were recently removed from B. banksi due to its unique color pattern and morphological differences that set it apart from other species of its genus. [1]

## Etymology[edit]

Sellifer is a Latin adjective meaning 'bearing a saddle'.[1]

## Description[edit]

Similar to other of its genus, the overall body coloration is dark yellowish brown, while the back of the fish is darker, and its underside paler. The feature that distinguishes the species is the 'saddle' on its back, a rectangular or triangular black blotch under the dorsal fin that occupies 4–6 scales and stretches down to the fourth lateral scale line.[1] This black pattern can appear pale or darker depending on the environment.

## Distribution[edit]

Top view of wild specimen from Selangor, Malaysia. Featuring its 'saddle'

It is found in Singapore, the Malay Peninsular, Indonesia, and parts of Sumatra.[2] However, the population at Bangka Island is small, and there is an effort to breed them in captivity to increase the island population.[3]

## Habitat[edit]

Barbodes sellifer prefers clear forest streams and pools, but is quite adaptable to other habitats like large rivers, lakes, and even swamps.

This species can sometimes be spotted intermingling with Barbodes lateristriga (spanner barb), Barbodes dunckeri (clown barb) and Rasbora elegans (two-spot rasbora).[4]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Kottelat, Maurice; Lim, Kelvin K. P. (2021). "Two new species of Barbodes from the Malay Peninsula and comments on 'cryptic species' in the B. binotatus group (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 69: 522540. doi:10.26107/RBZ-2021-0069. ISSN 0217-2445.
2. ^ "Barbodes sellifer". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
3. ^ Prananda, Mustobi; Qothrunnada; Azizah, Nur; Fernanda, Teguh; Swarlanda; Valen, Fitri (November 20, 2022). "MORPHOMETRIC AND MERISTIC STUDY OF Barbodes sellifer (Kottelat & Lim 2021) (CYPRINIFORMES; CYPRINIDAE) AS THE EARLY STAGE OF DOMESTICATION". Journal of Aquatropica Asia. 7: 92–98. doi:10.33019/joaa.v7i2.3500.
4. ^ "Saddle Barb – Barbodes sellifer". www.ecologyasia.com. Retrieved 2023-01-28.