Author: (Valenciennes, 1842)
Comments: Bottom dweller that feeds mainly on benthic organisms.  In Lake Tiberias the main food items are chironomid larvae and oligochaetes, while gastropods form only a minor part of the diet.  Spawns January to March in shallow waters of small streams, eggs being deposited on gravel.  Very tasty fish but the spawn is toxic (Andrey Mazlin, pers. comm., 2003).