Hemibarbus labeo (Pallas, 1776)
Barbel steed
photo by Kim, I.-S.

Family:  Gobionidae (Gudgeons)
Max. size:  67 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 3,000.0 g; max. reported age: 15 years
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater; depth range 5 - 20 m, potamodromous
Distribution:  Asia: throughout the Amur basin (Ref. 1441); eastern Asia from the Amur basin to northern Vietnam, Japan and islands of Hainan and Taiwan (Ref. 26334). Recorded from Mekong basin in Laos which apparently the result of introduction, either in Laos, or more likely upriver in Mekong basin in China (Ref. 37786).
Diagnosis:  Vertebrae: 40-42. Body spots absent in adults. Elongated body with slightly convex dorsal profile. Head length longer than body depth. Snout length much longer than postorbital head length. Lips well developed, lateral lobes of lower lip broad and thick, with folds, the median process small. Barbel length slightly thick, shorter or equal to eye diameter. Dorsal spine strong, 2/3 of HL. Origin of dorsal fin nearer the tip of snout than the caudal base. Gill rakers more than 15 (Ref. 38453). Anal fin with 6 1/2 branched rays; last simple dorsal rays ossified, spine-like (Ref. 43281).
Biology:  Omnivorous, feeding mainly on benthic invertebrates (Ref. 41299). Females are larger than males (Ref. 1441).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 06 April 2020 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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