The barbel^[1] (Barbus barbus)^[2] is a species of freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family (minnows and carps) of the order Cypriniformes (Carps). Barbels are native throughout Europe and China and has become established as an introduced species in Morocco and Italy. It was originally described as Cyprinus barbus by Carolus Linnaeus in 1854. Various subspecies are recognised, B. barbus bocagei and B. barbus sclateri in the Iberian peninsular and B. barbus plebejus in Italy. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subkingdom Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subkingdom Agnotozoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Subkingdom Metazoa Radiata Cnidaria Ctenophora - Comb jellies Bilateria Protostomia Acoelomorpha Platyhelminthes - Flatworms Nemertina - Ribbon worms Gastrotricha Gnathostomulida - Jawed worms Micrognathozoa Rotifera - Rotifers Acanthocephala Priapulida Kinorhyncha Loricifera Entoprocta Nematoda - Roundworms Nematomorpha - Horsehair worms Cycliophora Mollusca - Mollusks Sipuncula - Peanut worms Annelida - Segmented... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders See text The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. ... Families Suborder Cobitoidea     Balitoridae (hillstream loaches)     Catostomidae (suckers)     Cobitidae (loaches)     Gyrinocheilidae (algae eaters) Suborder Cyprinoidea     Cyprinidae (carps and minnows) The Cypriniformes are an order of ray-finned fish, including the minnows and some related families. ... Genera (many, see text) The family Cyprinidae, named after the Greek word for goldfish, consists of the carps and minnows. ... Species Barbus brevipinnis (Shortfin Barb) Barbus callipterus (Clipper Barb) Barbus conchonius (Rosy Barb) Barbus denisonii (Red Line Torpedo Barb) Barbus nigrofasciatus (Black Ruby Barb) Barbus oligolepis (Checker Barb) Barbus pentazona (Pentazona Barb) Barbus schuberti (Gold Barb) Barbus schwanefeldi (Tinfoil Barb) Barbus tetrazona (Tiger Barb) Barbus ticto (Ticto Barb) Barbus titteya... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as , (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... This koi carp has two pairs of barbels, the second pair being quite small. ... Genera (many, see text) The family Cyprinidae, named after the Greek word for goldfish, consists of the carps and minnows. ... Families Suborder Cobitoidea     Balitoridae (hillstream loaches)     Catostomidae (suckers)     Cobitidae (loaches)     Gyrinocheilidae (algae eaters) Suborder Cyprinoidea     Cyprinidae (carps and minnows) The Cypriniformes are an order of ray-finned fish, including the minnows and some related families. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... Sweet clover (), introduced and naturalized to the U.S. from Eurasia as a forage and cover crop, supports insect biodiversity. ... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as , (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The fish is suited to fast flowing waters, adult size is up to 1.2m (4 ft) in length and 12 kg (26 lb.) in weight, although it is typically found smaller (50-100cm length, weight 1-3kg)^[3]. Barbels are slightly laterally compressed, lack an adipose fin, have a dark brown or grey mottled appearance, the underside is light coloured, and the fins have a reddish tinge. metre or meter, see meter (disambiguation) The metre (in the U.S., chiefly meter) is a measure of length, approximately equal to 3. ... A foot (plural: feet) is a non-SI unit of distance or length, measuring around a third of a meter. ... The international prototype, made of platinum-iridium, which is kept at the BIPM under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in 1889. ... The pound is the name of a number of units of mass, all in the range of 300 to 600 grams. ...

Barbels are benthopelagic, meaning they are found at the bottom of rivers as well as in open water. They are typically found feeding in deeper areas of rivers with a rocky or gravel bottom. Feeding is on benthic organisms - crustaceans, insect larvae and mollusks. Classes & Subclasses Branchiopoda Phyllopoda Sarsostraca Remipedia Cephalocarida Maxillopoda Thecostraca Tantulocarida Branchiura Pentastomida Mystacocarida Copepoda Ostracoda Myodocopa Podocopa Malacostraca Phyllocarida Hoplocarida Eumalacostraca The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods (55,000 species), usually treated as a subphylum [1]. They include organisms such as lobsters, crabs, shrimp and barnacles. ... Classes & Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrate animals of the Class Insecta, the largest and (on land) most widely-distributed taxon within the phylum Arthropoda. ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia The mollusks or molluscs are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar creatures well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ...

Barbels have a minor role in commercial aquaculture, however they are popular sport fish. In the UK it reaches a size of up to 21 pounds, with anything of more than 7 pounds considered to be of specimen size.^{[citation needed]} Famous barbel rivers include the Hampshire Avon, the Kennet, the Great Ouse, and more recently the Severn and the Teme, where the barbel was not native but has thrived after its introduction. The River Avon in Salisbury The River Avon is a river in the county of Hampshire in the south of England. ... Kennet is a local government district in Wiltshire, England. ... The Great Ouse at St Neots The River Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. ... The Severn is the name of a river in the United Kingdom. ... The River Teme rises in mid-Wales south of Newtown, Powys and flows through Ludlow in Shropshire on its way to join the River Severn south of Worcester. ...

Male become mature after 3-4 years, females after 5-8 years, spawning occurs after upriver migration during May, June and July and 8,000 to 12,000 eggs are produced per kilogram of bodyweight.^[3] The eggs are poisonous.

The name derives from Barb giving rise to both the Scientific and Common names, B. barbus has of course, excellent examples of barbels. In English folklore the Barbel was once called the Pigfish.^[3]

External links

• Photos from Fishbase

References