Barbel (fish)

They are usually found in gravel and rocky-bottomed moderate-flowing rivers with high dissolved oxygen content, known as the Barbel zone.

A typical adult barbel can range from 25 to 240 cm (9.8 to 94.5 in) in length and weigh between 200 g (7.1 oz) and 200 kg (440 lb), depending on species.

[2] Barbus barbus, is found throughout northern and eastern Europe, ranging north and east from Great Britain, the Pyrénées and Alps to Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and Russia and the northern Black Sea basin, is known simply as the barbel in the and is a popular sport fish, weighing up to 21 lb (9.5 kg).

The Mangar or pike barbel (Luciobarbus esocinus) is found in Tigris–Euphrates river system, and can grow to 438 lb (198.5 kg)[3] The species scientific name essentially means "pike-like pike-barbel" (after the northern pike, Esox lucius), though a more literal translation would be "pike-like wolf-barbel".

Several small species called barbel including Luciobarbus callensis are found in the Maghreb region of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.

Some species of the genus Sinocyclocheilus, cave dwelling fish found in China, have made use of the term barbel in their English common name.