-
- About this page
- Languages
- User feedbacks
- Citation
- Uploads
- Related species
-
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes, 1844)
Silver carp
Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Stamps, coins, misc. | Google image
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
Picture by Ramani Shirantha
Pictures | Stamps, coins, misc. | Google image
Picture by Ramani Shirantha
Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) > Cypriniformes (Carps) > Xenocyprididae (East Asian minnows)
Etymology: Hypophthalmichthys: Greek, hypo = under + Greek, ophthalmos = eye + Greek, ichthys = fish (Ref. 45335); molitrix: molitrix, approximately grinder (referring to the pharyngeal grinding apparatus) (Ref. 10294).
More on author: Valenciennes.
Etymology: Hypophthalmichthys: Greek, hypo = under + Greek, ophthalmos = eye + Greek, ichthys = fish (Ref. 45335); molitrix: molitrix, approximately grinder (referring to the pharyngeal grinding apparatus) (Ref. 10294).
More on author: Valenciennes.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
Freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 20 m (Ref. 6898). Subtropical; 6°C - 30°C (Ref. 37797); 63°N - 8°N, 73°E - 148°E (Ref. 120939)
Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri
Asia: Native to most major Pacific dainages of East Asia from Amur to Xi Jiang, China (Ref. 59043) and Hanoi, Vietman (Ref. 120939). Introduced around the world for aquaculture and control of algal blooms. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction (Ref. 1739). Often confused with Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (Ref. 59043).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 51.7 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 120 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 86798); common length : 18.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35840); max. published weight: 50.0 kg (Ref. 30578); max. reported age: 20 years (Ref. 121658)
Max length : 120 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 86798); common length : 18.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35840); max. published weight: 50.0 kg (Ref. 30578); max. reported age: 20 years (Ref. 121658)
Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 10; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 11 - 17. Diagnosis: Body olivaceous to silvery. Barbels absent. Keels extend from isthmus to anus. Edge of last simple dorsal ray not serrated. Branched anal rays 12-13.5 (Ref. 13274). It differs from Hypophthalmichthys nobilis by having sharp scaleless keel from pectoral region to anal origin, 650-820 long, slender gill rakers, head length 24-29% of standard length, and plain pale coloration, greenish grey above, whitish below (Ref. 59043).
Found in their natural range in rivers with marked water-level fluctuations and overwinters in middle and lower stretches, swimming just beneath the surface. They feed in shallow (0.5-1.0 m deep) and warm (over 21°C) backwaters, lakes and flooded areas with slow current on phytoplankton and zooplankton (Ref. 30578, 10294). Bigger individuals from about 1.5 cm SL feed only on phytoplankton while larvae and small juveniles prey on zooplankton (Ref. 59043). Adults breed in rivers or tributaries over shallow rapids with gravel or sand bottom, in upper water layer or even at surface during floods when the water level increases by 50-120 cm above normal level. Conditions for spawning include high current (0.5-1.7 m/s), turbid water, temperatures above 15°C (usually 18-26°C) and high oxygen concentrations (Ref. 59043). Spawning ceases if conditions change (especially sensitive to water-level fall) and resumes again when water level increases. Juveniles and adults form large schools during spawning season. Mature individuals undertake long distance upriver migration at start of a rapid flood and water-level increase, able to leap over obstacles up to 1 m. After spawning, adults migrate to foraging habitats, In autumn, adults move to deeper places in main course of river where they remain without feeding. Larvae drift downstream and settle in floodplain lakes, shallow shores and backwaters with little or no current (Ref. 59043). In aquaculture, it can survive brackish water (up to 7 ppt) when released into estuaries and coastal lakes (Ref. 59043). Escape from fish farms are widely known even as they are stocked in large rivers and almost all still water bodies like lakes and ponds. Utilized fresh for human consumption and also introduced to many countries where its ability to clean reservoirs and other waters of clogging algae is appreciated even more than its food value (Ref. 9987). One of among 3 or 4 species of cyprinids whose world production in aquaculture exceeds 1 million tons per year (Ref. 30578).
Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Main reference
Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators
Skelton, P.H., 1993. A complete guide to the freshwater fishes of southern Africa. Southern Book Publishers. 388 p. (Ref. 7248)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Near Threatened (NT) ; Date assessed: 20 January 2011
CITES
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Potential pest
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial
FAO - Aquaculture systems: production, species profile; Fisheries: landings, species profile; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us
More information
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Tools
E-book | Field guide | Identification keys | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Classification Tree
| Catch-MSY |
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
AFORO (otoliths) | Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Aquaculture systems: production, species profile; Fisheries: landings, species profile; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD50 = 0.6250 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00891 (0.00772 - 0.01029), b=3.10 (3.06 - 3.14), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.3 ±0.1 se; based on diet studies.
Generation time: 5.6 (4.5 - 6.8) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 10 growth studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.16-0.29; tm=2-6).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): High vulnerability (55 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref. 124155): Calcium = 37.9 [16.1, 116.8] mg/100g; Iron = 1.37 [0.69, 2.65] mg/100g; Protein = 17.3 [16.1, 18.5] %; Omega3 = 0.306 [0.176, 0.554] g/100g; Selenium = 30.1 [16.4, 59.9] μg/100g; VitaminA = 8.45 [2.15, 37.85] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.445 [0.263, 0.805] mg/100g (wet weight); based on nutrient studies.