Rhodeus smithii

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Rhodeus smithii
Rhodeus ocellatus kurumeus1.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Subfamily: Acheilognathinae
Genus: Rhodeus
Species:
R. smithii
Binomial name
Rhodeus smithii
(Regan, 1908)
Synonyms
  • Rhodeus ocellatus kurumeus
  • Rhodeus kurumeus
  • Rhodeus ocellatus smithii
  • Achilognathus smithii

Rhodeus smithii, sometimes known as the Japanese rosy bitterling, Japanese bitterling, or Nippon baratanago is a temperate freshwater fish belonging to the Acheilognathinae subfamily of the family Cyprinidae. It originates in stagnant waters in inland rivers in Japan. It was originally described as Achilognathus smithii by Charles Tate Regan in 1908, and is also referred to as Rhodeus ocellatus smithii in scientific literature. [2]

Contents

Named in honor of British traveler, sportsman and naturalist Richard Gordon Smith (1858-1918), who collected specimens in Japan for the British Museum (Natural History). [3]

It is listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List. [1] The fish reaches a length up to 6.5 centimetres (2.6 in), and is native to freshwater habitats with a pH of 6.8 to 7.8, a hardness of 20 DH, and a temperature of 10 to 25 °C (50 to 77 °F). When spawning, the females deposit their eggs inside bivalves, where they hatch and the young remain until they can swim.

It lives about three years and rarely exceeds this lifespan. [4]

It was widespread in the west side of Japan (Kyushu and western part of Honshū) before World War II. In 1942, the rosy bitterling was accidentally introduced with grass (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and silver carp ( Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ) from mainland China. [5]

The two species are morphologically very similar, but several distinguishing characters are seen, such as the number of longitudinal scales, principal rays in the dorsal and anal fins, and shape of eggs. Also, rosy bitterling has a silvery-white area anteriorly (white lines) on the ventral fin, but R. smithii does not. In comparison, the ventral fin of R. smithii is a dark color. [6] Another notable difference is body size. R. smithii does not commonly exceed 60 mm (2.4 in) in length, whereas rosy bitterling males are larger than 80 mm (3.1 in) and females of the species commonly exceed 60 mm (2.4 in). [7]

Status

R. smithii was widely distributed in small ponds, reservoirs, and creeks in Kyushu and the western part of Japan. However, since the rosy bitterling was introduced, their population has been increasing dramatically all over Japan. These two species coexist in many areas, and hybridization tends to occur easily.

Hybridization and subsequent gene introgression has been observed within these species in Kashima and Ogori. [8] Because of these interbreeding events, the number of R. smithii has dramatically declined all over Japan and now is in danger of extinction. In 1994, R. smithii was on the IUCN Red List as an endangered species, and now it is critically endangered. R. smithii is also listed as a critically endangered species in the Japanese Red Data Book. [5]

Conservation

Environmental pollution, reservoir conditions, etc. have propagated the decline of native R. smithii in various places.

Since R. smithii is critically endangered, nonprofit organizations and study groups were established in Japan to help protect this subspecies.[ citation needed ]

Yao study group, one of the R. smithii conservation groups, started activities for protecting them. For example, this organization (Yao City, Osaka) made the protection pond in May 1999 where 41 male and 60 female fish were released with prawns. Also, 45 freshwater mussels were transplanted at the same time. They monitored and collected data regularly through 2001. In 2000, they succeeded in increasing the population to 6000 individuals and they transferred 500 individuals to another five ponds from the protected pond. However, in 2001, few individuals were collected. Due to the poor water quality that year compared to previous years, the study group concluded eutrophication has a negative effect on reproduction. Since then, Yao study group has considered designing new purification systems to conserve them. They also educate children (as an environmental study) for the next generation. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyprinidae</span> Family of freshwater fish

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 the largest vertebrate animal family overall, with about 3,000 species; only 1,270 of these remain extant, divided into about 200 valid genera. Cyprinids range from about 12 mm (0.5 in) in size to the 3 m (9.8 ft) giant barb. By genus and species count, the family makes up more than two-thirds of the ostariophysian order Cypriniformes. The family name is derived from the Greek word kyprînos.

<i>Rhodeus</i> Genus of fishes

Rhodeus is a genus of cyprinid fish, consisting of 23 species called bitterlings. The scientific name is derived from the Greek word rhodeos, meaning "rose". Most species in the genus are restricted to Asia, but two species are found in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosy bitterling</span> Species of fish

The rosy bitterling or Tairiku baratanago is a small freshwater fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae (carp), native to East Asia from the Amur River basin to the Pearl River basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyushu bitterling</span> Species of fish

The Kyushu bitterling is a temperate freshwater fish belonging to the Acheilognathinae of the family Cyprinidae. It originates on Kyushu Island in Japan. It was originally described as Acanthorhodeus atremius by Jordan & Thompson in 1914. The fish reaches a size of up to 6 cm (2.5 in), and is native to freshwater habitats with a pH of 6.8 to 7.8, a hardness of 20 DH, and a temperature of 10 to 25 °C.

The Georgian bitterling is a temperate freshwater fish belonging to the subfamily Acheilognathinae of the family Cyprinidae. It originates in the western portion of the Transcaucasia region of Georgia. It was originally described by Bogutskaya & Komlev in 2001. It reaches a maximum size of 6.8 cm (2.7 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European bitterling</span> Species of fish

The European bitterling is a temperate freshwater fish belonging to the subfamily Acheilognathinae of the family Cyprinidae. It originates in Europe, ranging from the Rhone River basin in France to the Neva River in Russia. It was originally described as Cyprinus amarus by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1782, and has been referred to in scientific literature as Rhodeus sericeus amarus. It is known simply as "the bitterling" in its native range, where it is the only species of its genus Rhodeus, and sometimes in the scientific literature, also, but this is technically wrong, being a leftover from the times when the European bitterling was united with its Siberian relative, the Amur bitterling, in R. sericeus. Properly, "bitterling" can refer to any species of Acheilognathus or Rhodeus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light's bitterling</span> Species of fish

Light's bitterling is a temperate freshwater fish belonging to the subfamily Acheilognathinae of the family Cyprinidae. It originates in Russia and China, from the Amur River basin to southern China. It was originally described as Pseudoperilampus lighti by H.W. Wu in 1931.

Rhodeus rheinardti is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Acheilognathinae subfamily of the family Cyprinidae. It originates in the Perfume River, near Hué, Vietnam. It was originally described as Danio rheinardti by G. Tirant in 1883.

<i>Rhodeus suigensis</i> Species of fish

Rhodeus suigensis is a temperate freshwater fish belonging to the Acheilognathinae subfamily of the family Cyprinidae. It originated in inland rivers in Japan and the Korean peninsula. It was originally described as Pseudoperilampus suigensis by T. Mori in 1935, and has also been referred to as Rhodeus atremius suigensis in scientific literature. The species was listed as endangered in 1994 by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, but in 1996 was relisted as "data deficient". When spawning, the females deposit their eggs inside bivalves, where they hatch and the young remain until they can swim.

<i>Acheilognathus</i> Genus of fishes

Acheilognathus is a genus of cyprinid fish native to Asia. The name is derived from the Greek a, meaning "without", the Greek cheilos, meaning "lip", and the Greek gnathos, meaning "jaw".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deepbody bitterling</span> Species of fish

The Deepbody bitterling or Itasenpara bitterling is a species of freshwater fish in the family of Cyprinidae. It is endemic to central and southern Japan. It grows to a maximum length of 8.0 cm.

Typhlogarra widdowsoni or Garra widdowsoni, the Iraq blind barb or Haditha cave garra, is a species of cyprinid fish endemic to underground water systems near Haditha in Iraq. Although traditionally placed in its own genus Typhlogarra, this is not supported by genetic evidence, leading to its move to Garra. This cavefish is considered critically endangered because of water extraction, which has lowered the groundwater level. Once abundant, a survey in 2012 found that it now was very rare. Another species from the same place, Caecocypris basimi, may already be extinct. The only other known cavefish in Iraq is Eidinemacheilus proudlovei.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Cloud Mountain minnow</span> Species of freshwater fish

The White Cloud Mountain minnow is a hardy species of freshwater fish and coldwater fish often kept in an aquarium. The species is a member of the carp family of the order Cypriniformes, native to China. The White Cloud Mountain minnow is practically extinct in its native habitat, due to pollution and tourism. It was believed to be extinct for over 20 years in 1980, but an apparently native population of this fish was discovered on Hainan Island, well away from the White Cloud Mountain. They are bred in farms and are easily available through the aquarium trade. However, inbreeding in farms has led to genetically weak stock that is vulnerable to disease and prone to physical deformities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striped bitterling</span> Species of fish

The striped bitterling is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the genus Acheilognathus. It is endemic to Lake Biwa and Lake Yogo in Japan. It typically grows to a length of 6.0 cm.

Acheilognathus macromandibularis is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the genus Acheilognathus. It is endemic to China. It grows to a maximum length of 5.2 cm (2.0 in).

<i>Abbottina rivularis</i> Species of fish

Abbottina rivularis, also known as the Chinese false gudgeon or the Amur false gudgeon, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae, the carps and minnows. It is native to China, Korea, and Japan, but it has been introduced to the Mekong River Basin and is also known from rivers in Turkmenistan.

<i>Andinoacara latifrons</i> Species of fish

Andinoacara latifrons, the platinum acara, is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes, native to the Magdalena, Atrato, Sinú, and San Juan River basins in Colombia. The scientific species name is indicative to its looks; latifrons meaning "broad forehead" or "broad front" in Latin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokyo bitterling</span> Species of fish

The Tokyo bitterling is a temperate freshwater fish of the carp family (Cyprinidae). Taxonomically, it belongs to the subfamily Acheilognathinae.

Rhodeus albomarginatus is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the genus Rhodeus. It is endemic to China, where it is found in the Lvjiang River of the Yangtze River drainage and uses the freshwater mussel Ptychorhynchus murinum as its host for spawning.

References

  1. 1 2 World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1996). "Rhodeus ocellatus ssp. smithii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 1996: e.T40704A10353075. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T40704A10353075.en . Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  2. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2007). "Rhodeus smithii" in FishBase . February 2007 version.
  3. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (8 April 2024). "Family ACHEILOGNATHIDAE Bleeker 1863 (Bitterlings)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  4. ↑ Kimura, S., and Nagata, Y. 1992. Scientific name of Nippon baratanago, Japanese bitterling of the genus Rhodeus. Japan.J.Ichthyol. 38: 425-429
  5. 1 2 Kawamura, K., Nagata, Y., Ohtaka, H., Kanoh, Y., and Kitamura, J. 2001. Genetic diversity in the Japanese rosy bitterling, Rhodeus ocellatus kurumeus (Cyprinidae). Ichthyol Res 48: 369-378
  6. ↑ Nagata, Y., T. Tetsukawa, T. Kobayashi and K. Numachi. 1996. Genetic markers distinguishing between the two subspecies of the rosy bitterling, Rhodeus ocellatus(Cyprinidae). Japan. J. Ichthyol. 43: 117-124
  7. ↑ Kimura, S., and Nagata, Y. 1992. Scientific name of Nippon baratanago, Japanese bitterling of the genus Rhodeus. Japan.J.Ichthyol. 38: 425-429
  8. ↑ Miyake, K., Tachida, H., Oshima, Y., Arai, R., Kimura, S., Imada, N., and Honjo, T. 2000. Genetic variation of the cytochrome b gene in the rosy bitterling, Rhodeus ocellatus (Cyprinidae) in Japan. Ichthyol Res 48: 105-110
  9. ↑ Kanoh, Y., Yoshinaka, T., Takemoto, Y., Iwasaki, and Y., Nishino, T. (Yao study group of Japanese rose bitterling) 2002. Conservation of Japanese rose bitterling Rhodeus ocellatus kurumeus. (in Japanese) 第11期 プロ・ナトゥーラ・ファンド助成成果報告書
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