Hypophthalmichthys

Hypophthalmichthys
Bighead carp
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Hypophthalmichthys
Bleeker, 1860
Species

See text.

Hypophthalmichthys is a genus of large cyprinid fish consisting of three species. The name comes from Greek ὑπό, (hypó) "below"; ὀφθαλμός (ophthalmós), "eye"; ἰχθῦς (ichthŷs), "fish", thus "fish with eyes below", referring to the fact that the fish has its eyes below the mouth line. Members of this genus are native to fresh water in East Asia, ranging from Siberia to Vietnam, but have been widely introduced outside their native range, where often considered invasive.

They are also known as bighead carp, though that term is also locally used for individual species, particularly Hypophthalmichthys nobilis.

Species

The three currently recognized species in the genus are:[1]

References

  1. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2014). Species of Hypophthalmichthys in FishBase. June 2014 version.


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