Balantiocheilos
| Balantiocheilos | |
|---|---|
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| A bala shark, B. melanopterus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Genus: |
Balantiocheilos Bleeker, 1860 |
| Species | |
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See text |
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See text
Balantiocheilos is a small genus of cyprinid fish from southeast Asia. It includes two species.
The range of B. ambusticauda is listed as including the Chao Phraya and Mae Klong drainages in Thailand; the original distribution of this species included the Chao Phraya River drainage from Bangkok upriver to the lower Nan River. It has also been reported in the Mekong Basin in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from the Tonlé Sap lake to the lower Nam Ngum River, but confirmed records from this basin are lacking and this is not recognized as part of its range by the IUCN. Previous records of B. melanopterus from the same rivers is due to confusion with B. ambusticauda; B. melanopterus only occurs in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. Large numbers of B. melanopterus are exported for the aquarium trade from Thailand, but these are all captive bred.
Cyprinid fishes of the genus Balantiocheilos are easily distinguished from other members of the family by the presence of thick and fleshy lips, the lower lip bearing a large lobe that is deeply incised medially along its posterior edge and black along the distal margins of the dorsal, caudal, anal and pelvic fins. The posterior margin of the lower lip has often been described as forming a posteriorly opening pouch or pocket between the lip and the skin of the throat.B. ambusticauda can be differentiated from B. melanopterus by a shorter snout. Also, in B. ambusticauda the rictus (junction of the premaxilla and maxilla at the corner of the mouth) has posteriorly direct grooves that are curved instead of straight. Finally, B. ambusticauda has narrower black margins on the pelvic and anal fins (on the distal third or less instead of the distal half or more in B. melanopterus).B. ambusticauda also has some golden color as opposed to the silvery B. melanopterus. B. ambusticauda only reaches about 20 cm (8 in) TL as opposed to 35 cm (14 in) TL in B. melanopterus.
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