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 

 Yellowtail rasbora
 Luciobarbus

 References 

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


 Other websites 

 Data related to Mangar on Wikidata

Category:IUCN Red List vulnerable species
Category:Cyprininae
Category:Taxa described in 1843