''Cyprinus'' is the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of typical carps in family

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family, including the carps, the true minnows, and their relatives the barbs and barbels, among others. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family, and t ...

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

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

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

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

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 nine valid species. They are native to freshwater habitats in Southeast Asia and China. Species ''Cyclocheilichthys'' contains the following ...

'' 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 that term often refers specifically to '' C. carassius''. The most well known species is the goldfish ...

'') of western

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

, which include the

goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of the 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 w ...

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

food fish Many species of fish are caught by humans and consumed as food in virtually all regions around the world. Their meat has been an important dietary source of protein and other nutrients in the human diet. The English language does not have a s ...

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 multi-generational mutualistic relationship in which an animal species, such as humans or leafcutter ants, takes over control and care of another species, such as sheep or fungi, to obtain from them a steady supply of reso ...

, and a number of

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable 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 seve ...

s have been developed for food and other purposes. The

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

(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 ma ...

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

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

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

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, centered on the

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

region. In some cases, they are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to a single

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

, most notably

Lake Erhai Erhai or Er Lake (), is an alpine fault lake in Dali City, Dali Prefecture, 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 ea ...

, as well as

Lake Dian Dian Lake (), also known as Dianchi, Dianchi Lake, Lake Dian and Kunming Lake, is a fault lake located on the Puduhe- Xishan fault in Kunming, Yunnan, China at 24°23′–26°22′ N, 102°10′–103°40′ E. Its nickname is the "Sparkling ...

Fuxian Lake Fuxian Lake () is a body of water in Yunnan Province, China. It stretches through Chengjiang, Jiangchuan and Huaning Counties, spanning an area of 212 square kilometers. It is the third-largest lake in Yunnan, after Dian Lake and Erhai Lake ...

, Lake Jilu, Lake Qilihu, 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 f ...

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

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce 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 common carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), also known as European carp, Eurasian carp, or simply carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Ark ...

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

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'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

* '' Cyprinus chilia'' 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 basin in northern Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southea ...

'' ( V. H. Nguyễn & L. H. Doan, 1969) * '' Cyprinus daliensis'' H. L. Chen & H. Q. Huang, 1977 * '' Cyprinus exophthalmus'' Đ. Y. Mai, 1978 * '' Cyprinus fuxianensis'' Yang et al., 1977 * '' Cyprinus hieni'' T. T. Nguyen & A. T. Ho, 2003 * '' Cyprinus hyperdorsalis'' V. H. Nguyễn, 1991 * '' Cyprinus ilishaestomus'' 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 an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximate ...

'' 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 endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or ...

'' H. W. Wu et al., 1963 * '' Cyprinus melanes'' ( Đ. Y. Mai, 1978) * '' Cyprinus micristius'' Regan, 1906 * ''

Cyprinus multitaeniatus ''Cyprinus multitaeniatus'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Cyprinus'' from the Xi River basin in China and Gâm River The Gâm River (, , Bainan he) is a river which derived from the Guangxi, China. The river enters Vietnamese ...

'' Pellegrin & Chevey, 1936 * '' Cyprinus pellegrini'' T. L. Tchang, 1933 * ''

Cyprinus qionghaiensis ''Cyprinus qionghaiensis'' is a critically endangered species of fish in the genus ''Cyprinus'' from Qiong Lake in Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has ...

'' 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, Korea, Russia, Vietnam and Laos from the Amur to Red Riv ...

'' Lacépède, 1803 Cyprinus rubrofuscus Bleeker

† A dagger, obelisk, or obelus is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species or languages). It is one of the mo ...

Cyprinus yilongensis ''Cyprinus yilongensis'' (Common name: Yilong Lake Carp) 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 co ...

'' Yang et al., 1977 * '' Cyprinus yunnanensis'' 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) {{Authority control Cyprininae Carp Fauna of Yunnan Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Freshwater fish genera