United States (contiguous states) country information

Common names: Grass carp, White amur
Occurrence: introduced
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: occasional (usually not seen) | Ref: Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 2011
Importance: commercial | Ref: Missouri Department of Conservation, 2008
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: live export: yes;
Comments: Introduced to Arkansas and made numerous interstate stockings that quickly spread into 35-40 states (Ref. 10294). Has been reported to occur in 45 states where it competes for food with invertebrates (e.g. crayfish) and other species, causes significant changes in macrophyte, phytoplankton and invertebrate communities, interferes with the reproduction of other fishes, decreases available refugia for other fishes, and so on (Ref. 45864). A popular fish sold in live fish markets. Found in 3 out of 6 live fish markets near the Lakes Erie and Ontario (Ref. 53249). Uncommon but its population is increasing in the lower Mississippi River. Found in lakes, ponds, pools, and backwaters of large rivers. Introduced to control aquatic weed problems in lakes and ponds. Its introduction has been proven to be more costly than beneficial as many fishes, waterfowl and other native species depend on aquatic vegetation (Ref. 86798). Also Ref. 1739.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority: https://www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 2011
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Cypriniformes (Carps) > Cyprinidae (Minnows or carps) > Squaliobarbinae
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Амур белый, 草鱼, شبّوط الأعشاب، مبروك الأعشاب, ... more

Main reference

Shireman, J.V. and C.R. Smith. 1983. (Ref. 48)
References | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 150 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 30578); common length : 10.7 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35840); max. published weight: 45.0 kg (Ref. 7248); max. reported age: 21 years (Ref. 48)

Length at first maturity
L_m ?, range 58 - 79.2 cm

Environment

Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 30 m (Ref. 6898)

Climate / Range

Subtropical; ? - 35°C (Ref. 52059), preferred ?; 65°N - 25°N

Distribution

Asia: China to eastern Siberia (Amur River system, Ref. 1441). Widely transported around the world (Ref. 7248). Persists only in Europe by stocking (Ref. 59043). Introductions often brought with it the parasitic tapeworm Bothriocephalus opsarichthydis (synonym of B. acheilognathi) (Ref. 12217). Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7-8; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7 - 11. No barbels. Snout very short, its length less than or equal to eye diameter. Postorbital length more than half head length (Ref. 4967). 18 soft rays for caudal fin (Ref. 40476). Diagnosed from rather similar species Mylopharyngodon piceus by having the following characters: body olive to brassy green above, silvery white to yellow below; body cylindrical; pharyngeal teeth laterally compressed, serrated, with a groove along grinding surface, usually in two rows, 2,5-4,2 (Ref. 59043).

Adults occur in lakes, ponds, pools and backwaters of large rivers (Ref. 5723), preferring large, slow-flowing or standing water bodies with vegetation. Tolerant of a wide range of temperatures from 0° to 38°C, and salinities to as much as 10 ppt and oxygen levels down to 0.5 ppm. Feed on higher aquatic plants and submerged grasses; takes also detritus, insects and other invertebrates. One of the world's most important aquaculture species and also used for weed control in rivers, fish ponds and reservoirs (Ref. 9987). Spawn on riverbeds with very strong current (Ref. 30578). Utilized also fresh and eaten steamed, pan-fried, broiled and baked (Ref. 9987). Considered as a pest in most countries because of the damages made to submerged vegetation (Ref. 43281).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Potential pest

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD₅₀ = 1.0000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
2.0 ±0.00 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.13-0.19; tm=2-10; tmax=21; Fec=50,000)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
High to very high vulnerability (65 of 100)

Price category (Ref. 80766)
Unknown

Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes, 1844)