Even though it's called Barbukka, it probably won't make sense to anyone unless they are a big fan of tropical fish. Taxonomically speaking, it appears to be a fish that falls between the roach family and the hill stream roach. If you only look at its movement and ecology, you will see that it is a species similar to Homaroptera, such as rocket fish. Even as an adult, it is a small fish with a total length of about 2 to 3 cm.

For many years, only one genus and one species, Barbucca diabolica, was known. Described by Tyson Roberts in 1989. This species is widely distributed from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. Barbucca elongata, which lives in Vietnam, was described last year, and there are two species in this genus. The scientific name Balbukka means bearded mouth. Most of the carp family fish and the loach family have whiskers on their mouths, so I don't think it's a good scientific name that captures their characteristics, but it's easy to pronounce and remember, so it's probably a good name as a common name. Its English name is Fire-Eyed Roach. This name can be understood if you actually collect it. If you look at it immediately after scooping it up with a net, you will see that its eyes glow from orange to crimson. However, strangely, this color cannot be seen in the aquarium. If you want to see these colors, try shining a flashlight or other light into the darkened aquarium at night. You will probably see red eyes, although not as many as when you collected them.

Barbukka has unforgettable memories. It happened about 2 years ago when I first went to the Blackwater River in Sungai Gorok in southern Thailand to collect it. As I was collecting fish while moving fallen trees from a small stream with a slight current, an unfamiliar fish came into my net. There is no doubt that it is a member of the roach family, but its movements are similar to those of Homaroptera and other roaches. It was small, about XNUMXcm in length, so I thought it might be some kind of young fish, so I brought it back to Japan. However, no matter how much you raise them, they do not grow large. This is despite the fact that they are eating a steady diet of Artemia and artificial feed. One day when I was looking at foreign literature, a photo of a specimen caught my eye. That was Tyson Roberts' paper on Barbuca diabolica. It had striking characteristics such as its large eyes and horizontal stripes running across its body. The photo of Balbukka diabolica used this time was taken of an individual at that time. I remember that Barbukka lived in my house for about two years at that time. It is one of my favorite fish because its slow movements are very cute, and it does not harm other fish, making it suitable for mixed swimming.

It was several years later that Balbukka began to be available commercially in bulk. However, there is no constant stock of this fish, and you only see it once every few years or not. If you are lucky enough to see this fish in a store, I recommend you buy it without hesitation. This is because it is impossible to predict when the next product will arrive.

I thought that Balbukka was a Malayan fish that lives from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo, but about 10 years ago new information on its distribution came in. It is also said to be distributed around Chanthaburi in eastern Thailand on the Indochina Peninsula. Chanthaburi and Talat are geographically interesting areas in the Indochina Peninsula where Malay fish are distributed. Betta prima, the only mouthbrooder on the Indochina Peninsula, also occurs from this region to Cambodia. The distribution of these fish makes sense, considering that in the distant past, the Indochina Peninsula, the Malay Peninsula, and the island of Borneo were all connected together, and then separated over many years.

I have collected Balbukka in Talat, where I often go to collect. They live under the fast-flowing stones of the rivulets that flow through the orchard. Their numbers seem to be small, and even if experienced collectors tried hard, they could not catch more than 10 in a day. This fish was later brought back to Japan and used as a model for a photo shoot at my home. According to a researcher I know, research is still underway to determine whether this Balbukka is Diabolica or a new, different species.
I also saw Balbukkaa a few years ago when I was collecting in Koh Kong, Cambodia. The environment where thick black water flows and Cryptocoryne grows naturally is the same as Sungai Gorok in southern Thailand. During the dry season, I was chasing fish into my net by kicking stones in a stream whose water level had receded, when a barbukka came in. After all, the deep red eyes are impressive immediately after being collected. When I lifted up the other stone, I found that Barbukka was stuck to the back of it as well. The population density seems to be high here.
I had a chance to visit the same river just the other day, and when I went to check on it, I found that the stream that used to be flowing had dropped so low that it had turned into a stagnant puddle. I looked for Barbukka, but I could only barely find one. Koh Kong in Cambodia and Talat in eastern Thailand are not far apart geographically. There are quite a few fish that live in common. It is probably the same species as Balbukka from Tallaght.

I haven't brought this Cambodian Balbukka home yet, so I haven't photographed it properly in the aquarium. They always disappear before I can bring them back to Japan. The precious one from the other day has already disappeared somewhere. It actually takes a lot of effort to safely transport fish from overseas fields. The fish you see in Japanese shops are the result of the efforts of local collectors, shippers, and Japanese importers. We would like you to take good care of the fish that have arrived in Japan alive.