Melon barb
| Melon barb | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Subfamily: | Smiliogastrinae |
| Genus: | Haludaria |
| Species: | H. fasciata |
| Binomial name | |
| Haludaria fasciata (Jerdon, 1849) | |
| Synonyms | |
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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 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 22–26 °C (72–79 °F). It grows to a length of 6 centimetres (2.4 in). This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.
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.