''Cyprinus'' is the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of typical carps in family

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...

. Most species in the genus are of East Asia origin with only the

common carp The Eurasian carp or European carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), widely known as the common carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Arkive The ...

(''C. carpio'') in Western Asia and Europe; this

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

has also been introduced to many other regions around the world. ''Cyprinus'' are closely related to some more

barb Barb or the BARBs or ''variation'' may refer to: People * Barb (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Barb, a term used by fans of Nicki Minaj to refer to themselves * The Barbs, a band Places * Barb, ...

-like genera, such as ''

Cyclocheilichthys ''Cyclocheilichthys'' is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae containing approximately eight valid species. They are native to freshwater habitats in Southeast Asia and China. Two additional species are alternately placed in the g ...

'' and ''

Barbonymus ''Barbonymus'' is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Cyprinidae, containing some barb species. The genus was only established in 1999, with the tinfoil barb (''B. schwanenfeldii'') as type species; thus, these fish are sometimes collectively ...

'' (tinfoils). The crucian carps (''

Carassius ''Carassius ''is a genus in the ray-finned fish family Cyprinidae. Most species in this genus are commonly known as crucian carps, though this term often specifically refers to '' C. carassius''. The most well known is the goldfish (''C. auratus ...

'') of western

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...

, which include the

goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have ...

(''C. auratus''), are apparently not as closely related. This genus's most widespread and well-known member is the common carp (''C. carpio'')

species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

. Although traditionally considered a single species, recent authorities have split the European and West Asian populations from the East Asian, with the latter named '' C. rubrofuscus'' (

syn. The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...

''C. carpio haematopterus''). Members of the species complex are famed as a

food fish Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingest ...

and have been widely traded and introduced since

antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

, but in certain areas has multiplied inordinately and become a pest. In its long use it has been

domesticated Domestication is a sustained multi-generational relationship in which humans assume a significant degree of control over the reproduction and care of another group of organisms to secure a more predictable supply of resources from that group. A ...

, and a number of

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

s have been developed for food and other purposes. The

koi or more specifically , are colored varieties of the Amur carp ('' Cyprinus rubrofuscus'') that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens. Koi is an informal name for the colored variants of ''C. rubrofuscus'' ke ...

(from

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

''nishikigoi'', 錦鯉) are well-known carp breeds,

selectively bred Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant mal ...

for being enjoyed by spectators from above. Strictly speaking, ''koi'' is simply the Japanese name of the East Asian carp. The other

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of typical carp are generally found in more restricted areas of eastern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, centered on the

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

region. In some cases, they are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to a single

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

, most notably

Lake Erhai Erhai or Er Lake (), is an Alpine climate, alpine fault lake in Yunnan province, China. Erhai was also known as Yeyuze () or Kunming Lake () in ancient times. Etymology The character "洱" (er) does not have the same meaning as ear (耳). During ...

, as well as

Lake Dian Dianchi Lake (), also known as Lake Dian and Kunming Lake (), is a large lake located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau close to Kunming, Yunnan, China. Its nickname is the "Sparkling Pearl Embedded in a Highland" () and it was the model for the Kun ...

Fuxian Lake Fuxian Lake () stretches out through Chengjiang, Jiangchuan and Huaning Counties in Yunnan Province, spanning an area of 212 square kilometers. The lake is ranked third-largest in Yunnan, after Dian Lake and Erhai Lake. Also the deepest lake i ...

, Lake Jilu,

Lake Qilihu Qilu Lake () is a plateau lake in Yunnan Province, in southwestern China. The lake has a total area of about 36.86 square kilometers. The average depth is 4.03 m, with an elevation of 1796.75 m. the water storage capacity is about 1.486×108m3. ...

, Lake Xingyun and

Lake Yi-Lung Yilong Lake () is a large freshwater lake located in Shiping County, Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan province, southwestern China. The lake has a surface area of approximately and is particularly notable for its scenery, including the colorful lotus fl ...

, which are all in Yunnan proper. Several of these species are seriously threatened and five are possibly already

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

: '' C. yilongensis'' (Lake Yi-Lung), '' C. yunnanensis'' (Lake Qilihu), '' C. daliensis'' (Lake Erhai), '' C. megalophthalmus'' (Lake Erhai) and '' C. fuxianensis'' (Fuxian Lake).Wang, Wang, Li, Du, Yang, Lassoie, and Hassan (2013). ''Six decades of changes in vascular hydrophyte and fish species in three plateau lakes in Yunnan, China.'' Biodivers. Conserv. 22: 3197–3221. doi: 10.1007/s10531-013-0579-0

Species

The following species are currently recognized in the genus. * '' Cyprinus acutidorsalis'' H. L. Chen & H. Q. Huang, 1977 * '' Cyprinus barbatus'' H. L. Chen & H. Q. Huang, 1977 * ''

Cyprinus carpio The Eurasian carp or European carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), widely known as the common carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Arkive The ...

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ...

* ''

Cyprinus chilia ''Cyprinus chilia'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Cyprinus'' from several lakes in the Yunnan plateau of China. References

Cyprinus Fish described in 1963 {{Cyprininae-stub ...

'' H. W. Wu, G. R. Yang, P. Q. Yue & H. J. Huang, 1963 * ''

Cyprinus dai ''Cyprinus dai'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Cyprinus'' from the Black River (Asia), Black River basin in northern Vietnam. References

Cyprinus Fish described in 1969 {{Cyprininae-stub ...

'' ( V. H. Nguyễn & L. H. Doan, 1969) * ''

Cyprinus daliensis ''Cyprinus daliensis'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Cyprinus''. It is endemic to Lake Erhai in Dali City, Dali, Yunnan. It has not been recorded since the 1960s and is possibly extinct.Wang, Wang, Li, Du, Yang, Lassoie, and Hass ...

'' H. L. Chen & H. Q. Huang, 1977 * '' Cyprinus exophthalmus'' Đ. Y. Mai, 1978 * ''

Cyprinus fuxianensis ''Cyprinus fuxianensis'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Cyprinus''. The species is only known from Fuxian Lake in Yunnan. It has been impacted by habitat degradation, overfishing, and introduced species An introduced species ...

'' Yang et al., 1977 * '' Cyprinus hieni'' T. T. Nguyen & A. T. Ho, 2003 * '' Cyprinus hyperdorsalis'' V. H. Nguyễn, 1991 * ''

Cyprinus ilishaestomus ''Cyprinus ilishaestomus'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Cyprinus''. Critically endangered, it inhabits Qilu Lake, Yunnan, China. References

* Cyprinus Fish described in 1977 {{Cyprininae-stub ...

'' H. L. Chen & H. Q. Huang, 1977 * '' Cyprinus intha'' Annandale, 1918 * ''

Cyprinus longipectoralis ''Cyprinus longipectoralis'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Cyprinus''. It is endemic to Lake Erhai in Dali, Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People' ...

'' H. L. Chen & H. Q. Huang, 1977 * '' Cyprinus longzhouensis'' Y. J. Yang & H. Q. Huang, 1977 * ''

Cyprinus megalophthalmus ''Cyprinus megalophthalmus'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Cyprinus'' that is Endemism, endemic to Lake Erhai in China.Wang, Wang, Li, Du, Yang, Lassoie, and Hassan (2013). ''Six decades of changes in vascular hydrophyte and fish ...

'' H. W. Wu et al., 1963 * ''

Cyprinus melanes ''Cyprinus melanes'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Cyprinus'' from the Kiến Giang River basin in Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country ...

'' ( Đ. Y. Mai, 1978) * '' Cyprinus micristius''

Regan The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...

, 1906 * '' Cyprinus multitaeniatus'' Pellegrin & Chevey, 1936 * ''

Cyprinus pellegrini ''Cyprinus pellegrini'' is a species of cyprinid fish in the genus ''Cyprinus'' that is endemic to Yunnan, China. It is found in Xingyun Lake. See also * List of endangered and protected species of China The endangered species of China may incl ...

'' T. L. Tchang, 1933 * '' Cyprinus qionghaiensis'' C. H. Liu, 1981 * '' Cyprinus quidatensis'' T. T. Nguyen, V. T. Le, T. B. Le & X. K. Nguyễn, 1999 * ''

Cyprinus rubrofuscus ''Cyprinus rubrofuscus'', the Amur carp, is a species of cyprinid fish, and is the wild form of the well-known koi. It is widespread in the fresh waters of eastern Asia, native to China, Vietnam and Laos from the Amur to Red River basins, ...

'' Lacépède, 1803 Cyprinus rubrofuscus Bleeker

* †''

Cyprinus yilongensis ''Cyprinus yilongensis'' is an extinct species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It was found only in Yilong Lake, Yunnan, China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the wor ...

'' Yang et al., 1977 * ''

Cyprinus yunnanensis ''Cyprinus yunnanensis'' is a critically endangered species of cyprinid fish in the genus ''Cyprinus'' from Qilu Lake in Yunnan, China. Despite surveys of the lake it has not been seen since the 1970s and it is possibly extinct. It reaches up to ...

'' T. L. Tchang, 1933

Fossil species

* †'' Cyprinus priscus'' von Meyer (fossil species from Miocene Germany)

Footnotes

References

* (2007): Evolutionary origin of Lake Tana's (Ethiopia) small ''Barbus'' species: indications of rapid ecological divergence and speciation. '' Anim. Biol.'' 57(1): 39-48. (HTML abstract) {{Taxonbar, from=Q134653 Cyprininae Carp Fauna of Yunnan Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Freshwater fish genera