It was only 2010 that this beautiful Indian barb has been described scientifically. It originates from the south of India. Presently it is only known from hill streams in the Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. It differs from the other Indian barbs of its closer relationship (eg D. arulius, D. assimilis, D. exclamatio, D. filamentosa, and D. tambraparniei) by the coloration. Especially diagnostic is the shape of the caudal spot, which is teardrop-shaped in D. rohani and circular in D. assimilis and D. filamentosa, the two species that look most similiar to D. rohani. Moreover, the caudal fin of D. rohani has no pattern, whereas in D. assimilis and D. filamentosa this fin has black markings.

 

Males and females can be easily distinguished by the shape of the dorsal fin which is filamentous in males. Like all these Indian barbs D. rohani is a wonderful schooling fish for larger aquaria. The species attains a length of around 8-12 cm.

For our customers: the fish has code 370914 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Barbus: Latin, means "the bearded". rohani: dedication name for Rohan Pethiyagoda, an ichthyologist that works mainly on the freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka and India. Dawkinsia: dedication name for the biologist Richard Dawkins ("The Selfish Gene").

Suggestion for a common name: Golden Scaled Indian Barb

 

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer