Everything about Cyprinidae totally explained
The
family Cyprinidae, named after the
Greek word
Kypris, another name for
Aphrodite, consists of the
carps and some of the fish known as
minnows.
Characteristics
The fish in this family originate from
North America,
Africa, and
Eurasia. The largest fish in this family is the
Giant Barb (
Catlocarpio siamensis), which may grow up to 3
m (10
ft). The largest North American species is the
Colorado pikeminnow (
Ptychocheilus lucius). On the other hand, many species are smaller than 5
cm (2
in); the smallest freshwater fish is, in fact, a cypriniform,
Danionella translucida, reaching 12 mm at the longest. All fish in this family are egg-layers and the breeding habits of most is one of non-guarding of the eggs, however, there are a few species that build nests and/or guard the eggs.
Economic significance
Cyprinids are highly important food fish; they're
fished and
farmed across Eurasia. In
land-locked countries in particular, cyprinids are often the major species of fish eaten, although the prevalence of inexpensive
frozen fish products made this less important now than it was in earlier times. Nonetheless, in certain places they remain popular for food as well as
recreational fishing, and have been deliberately stocked in ponds and lakes for centuries for this reason.
Several cyprinids have been quite introduced to waters outside their natural range to provide food, sport, or biological control for some pest species. The
common carp and the
grass carp are the most important of these, for example in Florida. In some cases, these have become
invasive species that compete with native fishes or disrupt the environment, carp in particular can stir up the riverbed reducing the clarity of the water making it difficult for plants to grow.
Numerous cyprinids have become important in the
aquarium hobby, most famously the
goldfish, which was first imported into Europe around 1728 but was cultivated by the Chinese well before then. Other popular cyprinids kept in aquarium include the
barbs,
danios and
rasboras.
The zebra danio or zebrafish (
Danio rerio) is the standard research animal for studying developmental genetics.
Taxonomy
It is the largest family of fresh-water fish, with about 2,420 species of
cyprinids in about 220
genera. The family belongs to the order
Cypriniformes.
Genera
The bold black text indicates which subfamily the listed genera belong to. There is debate as to how many subfamilies exist in this family and to which subfamily certain genera belong to.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Cyprinidae'.
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