Mylopharyngodon piceus
No common name
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GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Cypriniformes (Carps and Minnows)
Cyprinidae (Carps and Minnows)
Mylopharyngodon
Mylopharyngodon piceus
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal. Anatomy of the pharyngeal apparatus is the main distinguishing characteristic; throat teeth typically form a single row of 4-5 large molariform teeth on each of the two arches, with formula typically 1,4 - 4,1. Striking features: none.
Distribution
Asia: Amur river basin to southern China (Ref. 55930). Reported from Vietnam (Ref. 44416). Persists only in Europe by stocking or accidental releases; native stocks in Russia have declined sharply (Ref. 59043). Several countries reported adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish. demersal. depth range 5-30 m. Found in: streams.
Biology
Adults inhabit large lowland rivers and lakes, preferably with clear water and high oxygen concentrations. Larvae feed on zooplankton, then on ostracods and aquatic insects. At about 120 mm SL, juveniles start to prey on small snails and clams while larger juveniles and adults feed almost entirely on molluscs. Undertake upriver migration and spawns in open waters. Deposit pelagic or semipelagic eggs which hatch while drifting downstream. Larvae settle into floodplain lakes and channels with little or no current (Ref. 59043). Maximum age probably exceeds 15 years; the figure of 20 years is not supported by data (Ref. 55930).
Max length: 180.0 cm TL; common length: 12.2 cm SL; max weight: 35000 g; max age: 13 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: promiscuity; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Prewspawning adults migrate upstream in spring - early summer; spawning takes place in turbulent waters; eggs are pelagic and drift downstream and larvae enter nursery areas such as flood plains or backwater habitats; main river channel is used as feeding and wintering area by subadults and adults.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2020-04-02. Resilience: Low (K=0.08-0.09; tm=3-9; tmax >13; Fec=1,000,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial.
References
Man, S.H. and I.J. Hodgkiss (1981) Hong Kong freshwater fishes. Urban Council, Wishing Printing Company, Hong Kong, 75 p.
Shao, K.-T. and P.L. Lim (1991) Fishes of freshwater and estuary. Encyclopedia of field guide in Taiwan. Recreation Press, Co., Ltd., Taipei. vol. 31. 240 p. (in Chinese).
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Nico, L.G., J.D. Williams and H.L. Jelks (2005) Black carp: biological synopsis and risk assessment of an introduced fish. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. 337 p.
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