Pethia sharmai

About

Found in ponds across Tamil Nadu in southern India, this obscure little cyprinid, Puntius sharmai, is almost completely absent from the international aquarium trade and is currently kept only by a handful of private collectors outside its home country. It is a small fish, topping out at under two inches, and carries a slender body marked by a dark horizontal stripe that terminates in a blotch on the caudal peduncle, with an additional black spot above the front of the anal fin. Features that help separate it from lookalike species in the region. Its taxonomy is also a work in progress: while it was provisionally retained in Puntius following a major reclassification of South Asian cyprinids in 2012, it differs from the core definition of that genus in several anatomical details, so its placement may shift with further study. In terms of temperament, it is thoroughly peaceful but can be easily overwhelmed in a busy community setup due to its small size and shy disposition. It does best when kept with similarly scaled-down species, think small rasboras, nano danios, or dwarf shrimp, in a group of at least eight to ten individuals. A larger school keeps the fish calmer, encourages males to colour up, and produces genuinely interesting social behaviour as they compete for female attention.