Short-headed barbel , or Aral barbel , or Caspian barbel [2] ( lat. Luciobarbus brachycephalus ) - a species of ray-finned fish from the family of cyprinids .
| Short-headed barbel |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
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| International scientific name |
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Luciobarbus brachycephalus
( Kessler , 1872 ) |
| Synonyms |
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- Barbus brachycephalus
Kessler, 1872 [1]
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| Security status |
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Vulnerable speciesIUCN 3.1 Vulnerable : 135684 |
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The body length of sexually mature individuals can reach 103 cm with a mass of 21 kg. Lives about 9-10 years (the limiting age of this species is 13 years).
There are two subspecies:
- Luciobarbus brachycephalus caspius - Caspian short-headed barbel in the Caspian basin; which is sometimes described as a separate species of Luciobarbus caspius (Berg, 1914) ;
- Luciobarbus brachycephalus brachycephalus is an Aral short-headed barbel in the Aral Sea basin .
Passing fish. Matures in the 5-6th year of life. 10-12 months before spawning migrates to rivers. It spawns in Central Asia - in April-May, in Kura - from April to August. Semi-pelagic caviar, 1.4 mm in diameter. After spawning, it rolls into the sea. Barbel eats mainly mollusks, crayfish and aquatic insect larvae. Juveniles usually linger in the river for no more than a year, feed on benthos, then slide into the sea. Among those remaining in the river, some males reach maturity.
