Bighead carp

"Bigheaded carp" redirects here. For the genus as a whole, see Hypophthalmichthys.

Bighead carp
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Subfamily: Xenocyprinae
Genus: Hypophthalmichthys
Oshima, 1919
Species:
H. nobilis
Binomial name
Hypophthalmichthys nobilis
Synonyms
  • Hypophthalmichthys mantschuricus Kner, 1867
  • Leuciscus nobilis Richardson, 1845
  • Aristichthys nobilis (Richardson, 1845)

The bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) is a species of cyprinid freshwater fish native to East Asia, and is one of several Asian carps introduced into North America. It is one of the most intensively exploited fishes in fish farming, with an annual worldwide production of over three million tonnes in 2013, principally from China.[2] Unlike the omnivorous common carp, bighead carp are primarily filter-feeding algae eaters, preferentially consuming zooplankton but also phytoplankton and detritus.

Bighead carp, together with black carp, silver carp, and grass carp, make up the culturally important "four famous domestic fishes" used in polyculture in China for over a thousand years. It is widely farmed for food and chinese medicine.[3]

  1. ^ Huckstorf, V. (2012). "Hypophthalmichthys nobilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T166172A1116524. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T166172A1116524.en. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference FAO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Chapman, Duane C.; Benson, Amy J.; Embke, Holly S.; King, Nicole R.; Kočovský, Patrick M.; Lewis, Teresa D.; Mandrak, Nicholas E. (1 February 2021). "Status of the major aquaculture carps of China in the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin". Journal of Great Lakes Research. 47 (1): 3–13. doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2020.07.018. ISSN 0380-1330. Retrieved 20 November 2023.