Profile
Scientific name:	Varicorhinus barbatulus
Common name:	Ku hua, Ku wei, Qi tou wei (in Mandarin pronunciation)

Features:	Varicorhinus barbatulus are cylindrical-shaped and slippery. Adults are usually 15-25cm long, though they have been known to grow longer than 50cm and weigh more than 750g. Their short mouths contain two tiny pairs of mouth barbels and chin barbels, and their lower jaws are obtuse and protrude outward. The Varicorhinus barbatulus has an upper chin with well-developed mouth folds and a shovel-shaped lower chin with cuticular edges. Their backs are yellowish-green, their underbellies are white, the bottom scales on their sides have black spots, their dorsal fin membranes are black, and the upper half of their eyes are red.
Behavior:	Varicorhinus barbatulus are omnivorous fish that feed on the algae clinging to rocks in the water and aquatic insects. Fairly widespread, adults stay mostly in the upper and middle depths of a body of water while young fingerlings stay in the shallower waters near shore where the currents are slower. During the dry season or when the water is cold, they will often group together in rocky caves. Their breeding season is quite long and contains several breeding peaks. Females lay their eggs on sandy riverbeds where the currents are slower.
Habitat:	A widespread species, Varicorhinus barbatulus can be found in the upper and middle reaches of almost all the rivers in Taiwan, with the exception of the short, small rivers on the Hengchun Peninsula.
Mid-Altitude Areas>Fauna>Varicorhinus barbatulus