Squaliobarbinae is a small subfamily of the
carp and
minnow
Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens.
Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are c ...
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
,
Cyprinidae, which consists of three
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
genera which have their natural distributions in eastern Asia. Two species, the
grass carp
The grass carp (''Ctenopharyngodon idella'') is a species of large herbivorous freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, native to the Pacific Far East, with a native range stretching from northern Vietnam to the Amur River on the Sino-Russi ...
(''Ctenopharyngodon idella'') and the
black carp
The black carp (''Mylopharyngodon piceus'') or Chinese black roach is a species of cyprinid freshwater fish and the sole extant species of the genus ''Mylopharyngodon''. It is native to lakes and rivers in East Asia, ranging from the Amur Basin ...
(''Mylopharyngodon piceus''), have been introduced to other parts of the world for weed control and
aquaculture. They are large cyprinids characterised by an enlarged subtemporal fossa, the palate articulating with the
supraethmoid, an enlarged intercalar bone in the cranial vault, and a divided levator posterior muscle.
Genera
The three genera that make up the subfamily Squaliobarbinae are:
Taxonomy
Cyprinids are a large, widespread, and diverse family of mainly freshwater
ray-finned fish
Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species.
The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...
es, and the taxonomy of the family has not yet been fully resolved.
Fishbase recognises the Squaliobarbinae as a valid subfamily, but recent studies suggest that this may not necessarily be the case. For example, the three genera of this subfamily have been placed in the larger subfamily Oxygasterinae, and Squaliobarbinae is listed as a
synonym of Oxygasterinae.
and the World Register of Marine Species treats all three taxa traditionally placed in the Squaliobarbinae as ''
incertae sedis
' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...
''.
while the Catalog of Fishes places them in the subfamily Xenocyprinae.
However, at whatever level they are classified the three squaliobarbine taxa appear to be closely related and to form a
clade.
and have been referred to as the
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
Squaliobarbini.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15055209
Fish subfamilies