Aquarist Atlas
Barbs · African barbs

Raiamas senegalensis

(Steindachner, 1870)

Full synonymy (6)
  • Barilius loati Boulenger 1901 · junior synonym
  • Barilius macrostoma Boulenger 1913 · junior synonym
  • Barilius senegalensis Steindachner 1870 · original combination
  • Barilius senegalensis orientalis Blache & Miton 1961 · junior synonym
  • Raiamas loati (Boulenger 1901) · junior synonym
  • Raiamas macrostoma (Boulenger 1913) · junior synonym

Source: Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (Fricke, Eschmeyer & Van der Laan, eds.), California Academy of Sciences.

3 cited sourcesName checked against Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes, update of

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2019
CARESNOT LISTED
Type localityDagana, Senegal, western Africaper Catalog of Fishes
Scientific size9.5 in24.5 cm total length
Temperature72–79 °F22–26 °C
Depth—not recorded
DietPredator; small fish and insects
BreedingNot recorded
Sexual dimorphismNot documentedNot recorded in available sources
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

Raiamas senegalensis is a predatory West African minnow that FishBase gives at up to 9.5 in TL. Steindachner described it in 1870 from Dagana on the Senegal River.

What's in the name

Raiamas senegalensis — ry-AH-mas sen-eh-gal-EN-sis

senegalensis
  • Senegalplace name — the Senegal River and country
  • -ensisLatin — of or from

Taxonomy & naming

Steindachner described the species in 1870 from Dagana, Senegal. Raiamas belongs to the Danionidae, and stores often list the fish as Raiamas cf. senegalensis because several West African Raiamas look alike.

Morphology

An elongate, silvery, streamlined minnow with a large, oblique mouth. FishBase gives a maximum of 9.5 in TL.

Habitat

FishBase gives the range as the Senegal River and neighbouring West African drainages, and also records it from the Cross River in Cameroon. It lives in rivers and streams. FishBase lists a temperature range of 72–79 °F.

Feeding

Raiamas are surface-to-midwater predators of small fish and insects. The diet of this species has not been described specifically.

Mating

Mating behaviour has not been described.

Breeding

Reproduction has not been documented in the sources the atlas uses.

In the aquarium

It needs a long tank, a tight lid because of its jumping, strong flow, and tankmates too large to be eaten. It is a shoaling fish that does best in a group.

Conservation

IUCN lists the species as Least Concern, assessed in 2019. Specific threats are not described.

Common questions

Raiamas senegalensis: how big does it get?
Up to 9.5 in total length (TL).
Raiamas senegalensis: what water temperature does it need?
The atlas records 72–79 °F for this species.
Raiamas senegalensis: where does it come from?
It is recorded from Senegal and Cameroon.

Related species compared · Raiamas

SpeciesAdult sizeTemperaturepHHardnessIUCN
Raiamas senegalensisthis species9.5 in TL72–79 °F——LC
Burmese troutRaiamas guttatus12 in SL———LC
Coppernose barbRaiamas christyi7 in TL72–75 °FpH 6.5–789–179 ppmLC

Recorded ranges from each species’ own page; hardness is the tolerance its sources give, not a measurement of the water it lives in.

Also from the Senegal River basin

Sources

  1. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes — Raiamas senegalensis (Steindachner, 1870)
  2. FishBase — Raiamas senegalensis
  3. IUCN Red List — Raiamas senegalensis

Naming authority: Raiamas senegalensis in Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes ↗

Last reviewed 2026-10-05.

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Raiamas senegalensis. Aquarist Atlas.https://www.aquaristatlas.com/barbs/raiamas-senegalensis/

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Where it has been recorded

70 georeferenced records (GBIF). Each point is a field observation or museum specimen — pan and zoom to explore where this species turns up. The coordinates come straight from GBIF and are often rounded or tied to the nearest town or river landing, so a dot can sit just beside the actual water rather than in it.

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