The Nile carp (''Labeo niloticus'') is a fish species in the genus ''

Labeo ''Labeo'' is a genus of carps in the family Cyprinidae. They are found in freshwater habitats in the tropics and subtropics of Africa and Asia. It contains the typical labeos in the subfamily Labeoninae, which may not be a valid group, however ...

''. It feeds primary on

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a crucia ...

, and is distributed along the entire Nile valley. It is generally believed to be the fish that swallowed the phallus of the Egyptian god

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He wa ...

in the myth regarding his death at the hands of his brother Seth.

References

Labeo Fish described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Fauna of Egypt {{Labeoninae-stub