Black carp: Difference between revisions
m Fixed a bug, replaced: Info/Taxonomia → Taxobox using AWB (7504) |
Jboltonnal (talk | contribs) mNo edit summary |
||
| Line 31: | Line 31: | ||
*{{FishBase valid species list|Mylopharyngodon}} |
*{{FishBase valid species list|Mylopharyngodon}} |
||
{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
||
==External Links== |
|||
*[http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/aquatics/asiancarp.shtml Species Profile- Black Carp (Asian Carp) (''Mylopharyngodon piceus'')], National Invasive Species Information Center, [[United States National Agricultural Library]]. Lists general information and reseources for Black Carp. |
|||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Carp}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Carp}} |
||
Revision as of 20:09, 9 February 2011
| Black Carp | |
|---|---|
| |
| Adult | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Genus: | Mylopharyngodon Peters, 1881
|
| Species: | M. piceus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Mylopharyngodon piceus (Richardson, 1846)
| |
The Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) is a species of cyprinid fish indigenous to China, and widely cultivated for food and for Chinese medicine. It is the sole species of the genus Mylopharyngodon. The black carp grows to a length of up to three feet (1 m), and over 70 pounds (32 kg), generally feeding on snails and mussels. Black carp, together with bighead, silver, and grass carps, make up the culturally important "four famous domestic fishes" used in polyculture in China for over a thousand years, and known as "Asian carps" in the United States. Black carp are not as widely distributed worldwide as the other three.
In China, black carp are the most highly esteemed and expensive foodfish among the "four domestic fishes"[1] and, partly because of its diet and limited food supply, is the most scarce and expensive in the marketplace[2].
Black carp in the United States
The nature of the black carp's diet has led to its use in the United States in the control of snails in aquaculture. Snails are obligate alternate hosts of trematode pests that can cause substantial losses to aquaculture crops. Some state aquaculture laws require the carp to be bred as triploids, to render them sterile, and thus minimize the potential for the fish to escape and create self-sustaining populations. However, the use of triploids does require the maintenance and use of fertile diploid brood stock at least at some location, for production of the triploids.
No state allows the intentional release of black carp, sterile or otherwise. However, the United States Geological Survey reports seven confirmed black carp caught in the Mississippi River basin. Rivers where black carp have been captured include the Mississippi, the White in Arkansas, the Atchafalaya and Red in Louisiana, and the Osage in Missouri. Some of the captured fish have been confirmed to be diploid and assumed fertile; one has been confirmed to be a triploid and assumed sterile. In Louisiana, there are many other reports by knowledgeable fishers that have not been verified by biologists [3].
Black carp are considered to be a serious threat to mollusks native to the United States, many of which are critically endangered. In 2007, the black carp was listed as an "injurious species" under the Lacey Act [4]. It is thus illegal in most cases to transport live black carp, whether sterile or fertile, into the United States or across state lines. In states where legal, black carp can still be possessed.
References
- ^ Chu, X. et al. 1989. The fishes of Yunnan China. Part 1. Cyprinidae. Science Press, Beijing, China.
- ^ Chu X. 1984.The fishes of Fujian Province. Part 1. Fujian Science and Technology Press, Fujian, China.
- ^ Nico et al. 2005. Black carp: biological synopsis and risk assessment of an introduced fish American Fisheries Society Special Publication 32. 337 pp.
- ^ [1]
External Links
- Species Profile- Black Carp (Asian Carp) (Mylopharyngodon piceus), National Invasive Species Information Center, United States National Agricultural Library. Lists general information and reseources for Black Carp.