Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cypriniformes (Carps) >
Xenocyprididae (East Asian minnows)
Etymology: Hemiculter: Greek, hemis = the half + Latin, culter = knife (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; pH range: 7.0 - ? ; dH range: 15 - ?; depth range 0 - 10 m (Ref. 6898). Tropical; 18°C - 22°C (Ref. 2059)
Asia: China, North and South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and Amur River basin (Ref. 1441) to Red River drainages; Mongolia (Ref. 57778). Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction. Introduced in Iran (Ref. 39702).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 10.3, range 9 - 13 cm
Max length : 29.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 128900); common length : 16.9 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35840); max. published weight: 232.30 g (Ref. 128900)
Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 11 - 13. Completed lateral line, went downward suddenly at the pectoral fin, forming an angle, going upward along the anal fin, till the middle of the caudal fin. Green gray in the back, white in the stomach (Ref. 33303).
The species is common in large streams and reservoirs in Hong Kong but not favored as a table fish because the flesh is unpalatable and very bony; abundant in China where it is canned. The main bulk of the diet includes zooplankton, insects, crustaceans, algae and detritus.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Berg, L.S., 1964. Freshwater fishes of the U.S.S.R. and adjacent countries. volume 2, 4th edition. Israel Program for Scientific Translations Ltd, Jerusalem. (Russian version published 1949). (Ref. 1441)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Potential pest
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5039 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00676 (0.00594 - 0.00770), b=3.07 (3.03 - 3.11), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.8 ±0.32 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=3).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (43 of 100).
