Rohu

In Hindi it is called rehu .

Picture of the Rohu has been licensed under a GFDL
Original source: Own work
Author: Khalid Mahmood
Permission: GNU Free Documentation License

The Rohu lives in the benthopelagic, potamodromous, freshwater, brackish, depth range 5 - m environment.

The Rohu Fish - Nature's Sacred Delicacy

RohuThe Rohu (Labeo rohita) is a freshwater fish of the carp family Cyprinidae that is also commonly called the Ruee, Rui or Tapra. Known to put up a strong and long fight when caught on a hook, this fish is considered to be a sacred delicacy to be eaten at all special occasions in some regions of India.


Rohu can be found throughout South Asia and South-East Asia in the weedy, slow flowing or standing waters of lakes and rivers. They have very few natural predators in these waters except when they are small fledglings. Before reaching a juvenile stage they are often consumed by turtles, water breathing insects and other types of larger fish.


The types of food this fish prefers to eat changes with age. In its early stages the diet consists mainly of zooplankton. As it grows it then prefers more phytoplankton and eventually feeds on phytoplankton and submerged plants as an adult. They also have a fondness for bread, which is the most common bait used for catching them on a hook.


Rohu are generally solitary and reach maturity between two and five years. Its spawning areas are most often in the shallow waters of flooded rivers. They are a colorful fish defined by an upper body of dark scales, a lower body and belly that is golden brown and fins that are bright red. One of their most defining features is a large, oval gaping mouth ringed by thick lips. They can live up to ten years in the wild, growing to a maximum length of 200 cm (78.74 inches) and a whopping 45 kgs (99.21 pounds) in weight. They are now widely cultured in ponds and on fish farms, but do not breed well in calm waters so induced spawning often becomes necessary.


The texture of the fish is white, non-oily and the bigger the size of the fish the tastier it is. Rohu are heavily consumed throughout all areas in which they are found and prepared in a variety of ways. The roe is especially sought after as a delicacy and praised for its unique flavors. In many cases, the roe is also considered sacred and is most often fried and served hot as an appetizer at special ceremonies.


Picture of the Rohu by Khalid Mahmood, licensed under GFDL.

Common names

Bhobhari in Hindi (हिन्दी)
Bocha-gandumeenu in Telugu (తెలుగు)
Cá Trôi Ân Độ, Rôhu in Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)
Cá Trôi Ân Ð?, Rôhu in Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)
Dhambra in Punjabi
Dum-bra in Sindhi (सिन्धी)
Dumra in Punjabi
Jättilabeo in Finnish (suomen kieli)
Kannadi kendai in Tamil (தமிழ்)
Kennadi kendai in Tamil (தமிழ்)
Labeo avanské in Czech (česky)
Labeo rohita in Czech (česky)
Labeo rohita in French (français)
Labeo rohita in Italian (Italiano)
Labéo Roho in French (français)
Labeo Roho in Spanish (español)
Pla yee sok tad in Thai (ไทย)
Pla yee sok tead in Thai (ไทย)
Rahu in Bengali (বাংলা)
Rau in Assamese (অসমীয়া)
Rohi in Oriya (ଓଡ଼ିଆ)
Rohitham in Malayalam (മലയാളം)
Rohiti in Assamese (অসমীয়া)
Rohitii in Assamese (অসমীয়া)
Roho labeo in English
Rohu in Bengali (বাংলা)
Rohu in English
Rohu in Hindi (हिन्दी)
Rohu in Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ)
Rohu in Malay (bahasa Melayu)
Rohu in Malayalam (മലയാളം)
Rohu in Marathi (मराठी)
Rohu in Nepali (नेपाली)
Rohu in Oriya (ଓଡ଼ିଆ)
Rohu in Punjabi
Rohu in Swedish (Svenska)
Rohu in Tagalog
Rohu in Thai (ไทย)
Rokhu in Russian (русский язык)
Row in Assamese (অসমীয়া)
Row in Manipuri
Ruee in Bengali (বাংলা)
Ruee in English
Ruhu in Oriya (ଓଡ଼ିଆ)
Rui in Assamese (অসমীয়া)
Rui in Bengali (বাংলা)
Tambada masa in Marathi (मराठी)
Tambada massa in Marathi (मराठी)
Tambada-massa in Marathi (मराठी)
Tapra in Punjabi
तामबदा मासा in Marathi (मराठी)
रोहु in Hindi (हिन्दी)
रोहु in Nepali (नेपाली)
রুই in Bengali (বাংলা)
ਤਪਰਾ in Punjabi
ਧਾਮਬਰਾ in Punjabi
ਰੋਹੂ in Punjabi
கண்ணாடி கென்டை in Tamil (தமிழ்)
രോഹു in Malayalam (മലയാളം)
റോഹു  in Malayalam (മലയാളം)
ปลายี่สกเทศ in Thai (ไทย)
露斯塔野鯪(南亞野鯪)(引進) in Mandarin Chinese
露斯塔野鲮(南亚野鲮)(引进) in Mandarin Chinese

Order : Cypriniformes
Family : Cyprinidae
Genus : Labeo
Species : Labeo rohita
Authority : Hamilton, 1822