Fish profile · Cyprinidae

Sultan fish

Leptobarbus hoevenii

FoodFreshwaterNative to MalaysiaLeast Concern (IUCN)

Also called Hoven's carp and White sultan fish

The sultan fish is a valuable native river fish also bred in captivity in Malaysia. Wild stocks face pressures from fishing and changes to river ecosystems.

Last reviewed 13 October 2026 · 5 sources

Photo of Sultan fish — (c) Ong Jyh Seng, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA

IUCN: LC; Least Concern
In Malaysia: Native
Family: Cyprinidae; order Cypriniformes

Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.

Where in Malaysia

4 open-licence records · GBIF

PLSKDHKTNTRGPNGPRKPHGSGRKULPJYNSNMLKJHRLBNSBHSWK

Recorded (open records)

Recorded in Sarawak. Based on 4 open-licence records on GBIF. Few records can mean few surveys, not few fish.

Habitat

Lowland rivers

Large freshwater rivers, including those in eastern Peninsular Malaysia.

Diet: Omnivorous; aquaculture diets use both animal and plant ingredients.

Eating

Prized as a freshwater food fish in Malaysia.

More photos

Sultan fish, photo 2 — (c) Ong Jyh Seng, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Sultan fish, photo 3 — (c) Ong Jyh Seng, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA

Sources

Last reviewed 13 October 2026