barbels

Barbels are slender, whisker-like sensory organs found in many fish species, typically located around the mouth or along the snout. They are tactile and chemosensory structures that include taste buds and nerve endings, enabling detection of food and chemical cues in the water, especially in murky or deep habitats.

Barbels vary widely in number, length, and position. They are common in catfishes (order Siluriformes), which usually have several pairs around the mouth and snout, and also occur in loaches and some other groups. Barbels can be simple or branched and may be situated above the mouth (supra-labial), on the lips, chin, or under the snout depending on species.

Function: Barbels aid foraging by probing the substrate and sensing chemical signals such as amino acids, bile salts, and pheromones, allowing fish to locate prey in dark or turbid waters. They also contribute to environmental sensing and can help detect food items without relying on vision.

Anatomy: Barbels are soft tissue projections that arise from the skin, richly supplied with nerves and taste buds. They are not fins and do not contain bone; their high sensitivity reflects ecological needs rather than uniform structure across species.

Etymology: The word barbel derives from Old French barbel, from Latin barbella, a diminutive of barba meaning beard.