Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi (Günther, 1874)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The binni (Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi) is a species of cyprinid fish endemic to the Tigris–Euphrates Basin in the Middle East. This fish mostly inhabits lakes and marshes, especially in densely vegetated places where it also lays its eggs, but periodically it moves into rivers. This barbel is the only member in its genus, but was included in the "wastebasket genus" Barbus by earlier authors. It has declined in recent times due to habitat loss and overfishing. The binni is an elongate fish but is deep-bodied for a barbel. It is overall brownish–golden with a lighter belly and darker fins. It can reach up to 56 cm (22 in) in total length, and 4 kg (8.8 lb) in weight. The sexes are similar, but females reach a larger size. The sex ratio tends to be skewed with more males than females. Maturity is reached when the species is two to four years old, and the species can reach an age of up to nine years. It feeds almost entirely on plants, ranging from phytoplankton and algae to higher plants.
Wikipedia contributors, Binni; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:11:10.410901+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi (Günther, 1874)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1874)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Cyprinidae
- Genus
- Mesopotamichthys
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCypriniformes
- familyCyprinidae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyBarbinae Bleeker, 1859
- genusMesopotamichthys Karaman, 1971
- speciesMesopotamichthys sharpeyi (Günther, 1874)
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Barbus faoensis Günther, 1896 Günther, 1896 | synonym |
| Barbus sharpeyi Günther, 1874 Günther, 1874 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1026351 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:425D3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.