Kingdom Animalia Order Cypriniformes Genus Barbus Higher classification Barbus | Phylum Chordata Family Cyprinidae Scientific name Barbus callipterus Rank Species | |
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Similar Barbus, Cyprinidae, Jae barb, Barbus fasciolatus | ||
The clipper barb (Barbus callipterus) or Congo barb is a freshwater and brackish tropical fish belonging to the minnow family (Cyprinidae). Its native habitat is from Côte d'Ivoire through the Chad Basin to Nigeria and Cameroon. It was originally described as Barbus callipterus by Boulenger in 1907, and is also referred to as Barbodes callipterus and Puntius callipterus.
The clipper barb grows to a maximum length of 3 in (8 cm) and a maximum weight of 0.18 oz (5.0 g). It has a slightly convex dorsal profile and short anterior barbels that do not extend beyond the eye. It has a light silverish-golden body, darker on the back. The dorsal and caudal fins have a red-orange base, all other fins are colorless. It has a black spot on the first few rays of the dorsal fin, the tip of those rays are colorless.
Clipper barbs natively live in a tropical environment and prefer freshwater an ideal temperature range of 66 - 77 °F (19 - 25 °C).
The clipper barb is of commercial interest in the aquarium industry.