Hypophthalmichthys

Hypophthalmichthys
Bighead carp
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Subfamily: Xenocyprinae
Genus: Hypophthalmichthys
Bleeker, 1860
Type species
Leuciscus molitrix
Valenciennes, 1844
Species

see text

Synonyms
  • Abramocephalus Steindachner, 1869
  • Aristichthys Ōshima, 1919
  • Cephalus Basilewsky, 1855
  • Onychodon Dybowski, 1872

Hypophthalmichthys is a genus of large cyprinid fish consisting of three species. The name comes from Greek ὑπό, (hypó) "below"; ὀφθαλμός (ophthalmós), "eye"; ἰχθῦς (ichthŷs), "fish", thus "fish with eyes below", referring to the fact that the fish has its eyes below the mouth line. Members of this genus are native to fresh water in East Asia, ranging from Siberia to Vietnam, but have been widely introduced outside their native range, where often considered invasive.

The genus is also known as Bighead carp, though that term is also used for individual species, particularly Hypophthalmichthys nobilis. The Russian language has a special word for the genus - tolstolób(ik) (literally thickforehead).

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