The Cyprinidae are the family of freshwater fish, collectively called cyprinids, that includes the carps, the true minnows, and their relatives. Also commonly called the "carp family", or "minnow family", Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest vertebrate animal family in general, with about 3,000 species of which only 1,270 remain extant, divided into about 370 genera. They range from about 12 mm to the 3-m Catlocarpio siamensis. The family belongs to the ostariophysian order Cypriniformes, of whose genera and species the cyprinids make up more than two-thirds. The family name is derived from the Ancient Greek kyprînos.
Cyprinus is the genus of typical carps in family Cyprinidae. Most species in the genus are of East Asia origin with only the common carp in Western Asia and Europe; this invasive species has also been introduced to many other regions around the world. Cyprinus are closely related to some more barb-like genera, such as Cyclocheilichthys and Barbonymus (tinfoils). The crucian carps (Carassius) of western Eurasia, which include the goldfish, are apparently not as closely related.
Dianchi Lake, also known as Lake Dian and Kunming Lake, is a large lake located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau close to Kunming, Yunnan, China. Its nickname is the "Sparkling Pearl Embedded in a Highland" and it was the model for the Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace in Beijing. Its name is the source of Yunnan's Chinese abbreviation 滇.
Icefishes or noodlefishes are a family, the Salangidae, of small osmeriform fish, related to the smelts. They are found in Eastern Asia, ranging from the Russian Far East in the north to Vietnam in the south, with the highest species richness in China. Some species are widespread and common, but others have relatively small ranges and are threatened. Depending on species, they inhabit coastal marine, brackish or fresh water habitats, and some are anadromous, only visiting fresh water to spawn.
Schizothorax is a genus of cyprinid fish found in southern and western China, through northern South Asia (Himalaya) and Central Asia, to Iran, with a single species, S. prophylax, in Turkey. They are primarily found in highland rivers, streams and lakes, although a few species occur in lower-lying locations, like Lake Balkhash and lakes of the Sistan Basin. Their scientific name means "cloven-breast", from Ancient Greek schízeïn (σχίζειν) "to cleave" and thórax (θώραξ) "breast-plate". The western species are typically referred to as marinkas from their Russian name marinka (маринка), while the eastern species are usually called snowtrout. Although they do resemble trouts in habitus this is merely due to convergent evolution and they are by no means closely related apart from both being Teleostei: Cyprinids are in the teleost superorder Ostariophysi, while trouts are in the superorder Protacanthopterygii. Their ancestors must thus have diverged as early as the Triassic, more than 200 million years ago.
Sinocyclocheilus is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae endemic to China, where only found in Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan. Almost all of its species live in or around caves and most of these have adaptions typical of cavefish such as a lack of scales, lack of pigmentation and reduced eyes. Several species have an unusual hunchbacked appearance and some of the cave-dwellers have a "horn" on the back, the function of which is unclear. In contrast, the Sinocyclocheilus species that live aboveground, as well as a few found underground, show no clear cavefish adaptions. They are relatively small fish reaching up to 23 cm (9.1 in) in length. The individual species have small ranges and populations, leading to the status of most of the evaluated species as threatened. Many species populations in the genus have yet to be evaluated by the IUCN.
Anabarilius polylepis is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae, that is endemic to Yunnan, China. It only occurs in Dian Lake and Songhuaba reservoir in Kunming. It was once a major commercial fish species, but it has not been confirmed in the lake since the 1970s. Its decline is attributed to many factors: introduced fish species, decreasing water quality, the loss of macrophytes, over-fishing, and the loss of breeding sites due to siltation and blocked access.
Anabarilius is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae, most of them only occurring in China. Many of the species have very restricted geographic range and have been negatively impacted by introduced species, fishing, and habitat degradation; the IUCN Red List includes five Anabarilius species that are either endangered or critically endangered and one species that is considered extinct.
Tor yunnanensis is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found only in Fuxian Lake in Yunnan, China. It has been severely impacted by the introduced species of fish, pollution, and overfishing, and not seen after the 1990s.
Neosalanx is a genus of icefishes native to Eastern Asia, ranging from Korea, through Japan and China, to Vietnam. They inhabit coastal marine waters, estuaries and river basins. There are both species that are threatened and species that are widespread.
Fuxian Lake stretches out through Chengjiang, Jiangchuan and Huaning Counties in Yunnan Province, spanning an area of 212 square kilometers. The lake is ranked third-largest in Yunnan, after Dian Lake and Erhai Lake. Also the deepest lake in Yunnan, it is 155 meters deep at its greatest depth. It is also the third-deepest fresh water lake in China, after Tianchi and Kanas Lake.
Neosalanx tangkahkeii, the Chinese icefish or short-snout icefish, is a species of icefish endemic to fresh and brackish waters in China. Despite its common name it is not the only icefish in China; the majority of the species in this family are found in the country.
Anabarilius alburnops is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Alburnus. It is only known from Dian Lake and Songhuaba Reservoir, both in Kunming, Yunnan. It can reach sizes above 31 cm (12 in) SL.
Anabarilius andersoni is a species of cyprinid fish that is endemic to China. It is a pelagic species only known from Xingyun Lake in Yunnan, and its population is severely impacted by domestic pollution and overfishing.
Anabarilius macrolepis is an extinct species of ray-finned fish in the genus Anabarilius that was endemic to Yilong Lake in Yunnan, China. It is believed that it became extinct when Yilong Lake dried up in 1981, as a result of water abstraction for agriculture. The species was not observed in 1983–84, and was declared extinct in 2011.
Anabarilius xundianensis is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Alburnus, that is endemic to China. It is known from Qingshui Lake, a Jinsha River tributary of Yangtze River. The exact threats are unknown but it may be fished for food and sensitive to pollution.
The golden-line barbel is a species of cyprinid fish endemic to Dian Lake and its tributaries in Yunnan, China. It has been extirpated from the lake itself due to heavy pollution, but survives in a single tributary and a few small temple ponds. This species can reach a length of 23 centimetres (9.1 in) though most are only around 17 centimetres (6.7 in). The greatest weight known for this species is 250 grams (8.8 oz).
Schizothorax grahami is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Schizothorax. It is endemic to Lake Dianchi, its tributaries and connected springs, in Yunnan Province, China. The species has not been caught in the lake in the past 20 years, but it is present in one tributary drainage basin. The introduction of exotic fish is the main threat to this species.
Hemisalanx brachyrostralis is a species of icefish endemic to the Yangtze basin, China. It is the only known species in the genus Hemisalanx, after Hemisalanx prognathus was moved to genus Salanx. In a study of the five freshwater icefish species in the Yangtze, it was a relatively low-density species, being much less frequent than Neosalanx taihuensis and N. oligodontis, but more than Protosalanx hyalocranius and N. tangkahkeii. H. brachyrostralis reaches up to 13.6 cm (5.4 in) in total length.
Gymnocypris przewalskii is a species of cyprinid that is endemic to the Lake Qinghai basin in China, where it is the dominant fish species. G. przewalskii is a planktivore with a main population that migrates from the lake to rivers to spawn and another that lives its entire life in the nearby Ganzi River. The species is listed as endangered on the China Species Red List due to overfishing and habitat loss, which has led to suspension of its commercial fishery four times since 1989.
