Mangar (fish)

The mangar (Luciobarbus esocinus), also called a pike barbel, is a ray-finned fish in the genus Luciobarbus found in the Tigris–Euphrates river system. In ancient times, there were drawings of Assyrians wearing mangar skin. It is one of the largest species of the Cyprinidae family, aside from the giant barb.

Etymology

The species name, esocinus, means "pike-like wolf-barbel" (named after the northern pike).

Description

Physical appearance

The mangar looks like a pike in appearance. The body is covered with small scales. The mouth has no teeth. It has a big head, one dorsal fin, and a pair of pectoral and ventral fins.

Where it lives

It lives in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Adults move to larger rivers

What it eats

Mangars eat many animals, from zooplankton and invertebrates to fish and birds.

Conservation

The mangar is classified as Vulnerable due to overfishing and habitat loss. Most places are overfished with mangars; however, some areas still show relevant numbers.

Related pages

References

Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2017). "Luciobarbus esocinus" in FishBase. 2017 version.

Other websites

Data related to Mangar on Wikidata