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- ›Balantiocheilos
Tricolor Sharkminnow
Balantiocheilos melanopterus
The bala shark, Balantiocheilos melanopterus, also known as the tricolor shark, tricolor sharkminnow, silver shark, or shark minnow, is a fish species of the family Cyprinidae, and is one of the two species in the genus Balantiocheilos. This species is not a true shark, but is commonly so called because of its torpedo-shaped body and large fins. It is endangered because the population decreased by 50% in the last 10 years.
From the article Bala shark on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
These fish have a silver body with black margins on their dorsal, caudal, anal, and pelvic fins. They have big eyes to find and catch their prey. The bala shark will grow to a maximum length of 35 cm (14 in).
Wikipedia: “Appearance and anatomy”
Range & habitat
The bala shark occurs in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. Previous records further north in the Mekong and Chao Phraya River is due to confusion with the recently described and possibly extinct B. ambusticauda (although the presence of any Balantiocheilos in the Mekong is questionable).
Wikipedia: “Distribution”
What it does
Bala sharks are found in midwater depths in large and medium-sized rivers and lakes. They feed on phytoplankton, but mostly on small crustaceans, rotifers, and insects and their larvae.
Wikipedia: “Habitat and ecology”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 95062.