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Cirrhinus reba , Hirakud Reservoir, Mahanadi, Orissa, India

Reba carp

An edible freshwater fish native to South Asia.

Photo: A. M. Sajina & Deepa Sudheesan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Reba carp is an edible freshwater fish belonging to the ray-finned genus Cirrhinus. People find it living in large rivers, lakes and reservoirs across Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, where it serves as a local food source.

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  • It is an edible freshwater fish native to South Asia.
  • The species belongs to the ray-finned genus Cirrhinus.
  • It lives in large rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs.
  • Its natural range covers Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.

What it is

The Reba carp is a type of ray-finned fish that lives entirely in freshwater environments. It belongs to a biological group called Cirrhinus. You will typically find this species swimming in large flowing rivers and streams. It also inhabits still bodies of water like natural lakes, local tanks and man-made reservoirs. Its common name and biological classification place it firmly among the carps, making it a familiar catch in its native range.

Where it lives

This fish is native to the southern part of the Asian continent. Its natural home includes the countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Within these nations, it occupies a variety of inland water bodies. It thrives in large, flowing streams and rivers. It is also well adapted to standing water environments, including natural lakes, local ponds or tanks, and artificial reservoirs.

Reba carp
A drawing made by EveryFish from what this page says. It is a diagram, not a picture of the real fish.

Fish and people

Humans consume this fish as part of their regular diet, since it is officially classified as an edible species. Local communities catch it in the various rivers, lakes and reservoirs it inhabits across South Asia. It serves as a reliable food source for people living in its native range of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. It is harvested from both flowing and standing inland waters.

Questions people ask about Reba carp

What kind of water does the Reba carp live in?

It lives entirely in freshwater. You can find it in large flowing rivers and streams, as well as in still bodies of water like lakes, tanks and reservoirs.

Where is the Reba carp naturally found?

This fish is native to the southern part of the Asian continent. Its natural range includes the countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.

Do people eat the Reba carp?

Yes, it is classified as an edible fish. Local communities harvest it from rivers, lakes and reservoirs to use as a food source across its native South Asian range.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Reba carp", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryFish rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and figures change over time. Nothing here is investment or buying advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-11-15.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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