Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 2
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Order : Cypriniformes
Family : CYPRINIDAE
Species : Puntigrus tetrazona
Maximum length (including tail fin) : 7 cm
(Fishbase, 2026)
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Link to Fishbase
Puntigrus tetrazona
(Sumatran Tiger Barb, or simply 'Sumatra Barb'), which also occurs on the island of
Borneo, inhabits freshwater systems of neutral pH (6.0-8.0) i.e. it appears
unsuited to acidic, freshwater swamp habitats.
The species has been farmed widely for the aquarium trade and, as a consequence,
introduced populations of non-native, ornamental strains occur in a number
of territories.
Its body shape is rhomboid, and laterally compressed. Its overall body
colour is yellow-brown to silvery. Its fins and the top of its head are
reddish.
It bears 4 vertical dark bars on its flanks; the first bar passes obliquely
through the eye, the second is vertical, the third occurs just behind the
dorsal fin (this sometimes merges with a dark bar on the dorsal fin), and the
fourth is at the base of the forked tail fin.
In the wild its diet comprises aquatic plants and a variety of
invertebrates. It sometimes joins mixed shoals with other species.
Fig 1 : Example from a sunlit stretch of a shallow forest stream,
with sandy substrate. Seen in Singapore, where Puntigrus tetrazona is an introduced species.
Fig 2 : Another example (flash photography) in a mixed shoal with
Spanner Barb (Striuntius lateristriga)
and Two-spot Rasbora (Rasbora elegans).
Fig 3 : Sunlit, sandy forest stream with neutral pH in Singapore's forest; Puntigrus tetrazona
has established localised populations in such habitat.
References :
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