The red garra ( Garra rufa), also known as the doctor fish or nibble fish, is a species of cyprinid that is native to a wide range of freshwater habitats in subtropical parts of Western Asia.[ but locally individuals can reach as much as .]
In the wild, Garra rufa feed on detritus, algae and tiny animals ( and other zooplankton).[
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Distribution, habitat and taxonomy
As traditionally defined, Garra rufa is native to Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Iraq and Iran.[ Some of the main systems where it is found are the Kızıl, Seyhan River, Ceyhan River, Orontes River, Queiq River, Jordan River, Tigris–Euphrates, Kor River, and Mond River river basins, but the species also inhabits other coastal river basins in the Levant and Iran, as well as the endorheic Lake Maharlu system.][ It lives in rivers, streams, canals, reservoirs, ponds and lakes, although it tends to avoid stagnant waters.][ It often is common or abundant, even in areas that are heavily influenced by humans like polluted canals.][
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The taxonomy of this species has been labelled with uncertainty. As traditionally defined ( sensu lato), there are some morphological variations over its relatively large range and it has been recognized for several years that it likely was a species complex.
Other members of the G. rufa complex are Garra barreimiae, Garra elegans, Garra ghorensis, G. longipinnis, Garra nana, Garra persica, Garra rossica and Garra sahilia, but these were generally recognized as valid species many years ago.[ Finally the complex includes four cavefish: G. lorestanensis, G. tashanensis, Garra typhlops and Garra widdowsoni.][
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Fish pedicure
Doctor fish facilities at spa resorts exist in many countries worldwide. In 2006, doctor fish spa resorts opened in Kangal, Turkey, Hakone, Japan, and Umag, Croatia, where the fish are used to clean the bathers at the spa. In 2008, two widely known doctor fish pedicure services were opened in the United States in Fairfax County, Virginia,[ Virginia Spa Creates Splash by Offering Fish Pedicures] and in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Wisconsin ordered the closure of the doctor fish service shortly after its opening. In 2010, the first spa opened in the United Kingdom in Sheffield.
The practice is banned in several of the states in the United States and Canadian provinces as cosmetology regulators believe the practice is unsanitary, with the Wall Street Journal saying that "cosmetology regulations generally mandate that tools need to be discarded or sanitized after each use. But epidermis-eating fish are too expensive to throw away".[ Ban on Feet-Nibbling Fish Leaves Nail Salons on the Hook] The procedure is legal in Quebec, with a few clinics in Montreal.
Garra rufa seen in the spa and aquarium trade mostly originate from commercial facilities in Israel and to a lesser degree Turkey.[ Since Israeli and many (but not all) Turkish populations of " G. rufa" now are recognized as G. jordanica and G. turcica instead, this leads to questions over the true identity of most of the fish seen in the trade.][ the species requires clean, well-oxygenated and moving waters to thrive in an aquarium.][ For treatment of skin diseases, aquarium specimens are not well-suited as the skin-feeding behavior fully manifests only under conditions where the food supply can be scarce and unpredictable.
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When used as a prelude intended to enhance the effects of ultraviolet light expoure in psoriasis treatment, fish pedicure is known as ichthyotherapy.
See also
