Common carp
(Cyprinus carpio)

General data

Scientific names: Common carp

Habitat: Freshwater

Climates: Subtropical, Temperate, Continental

Native: Europe, Asia

Introduced: Africa, North America, Australia & Oceania

Distribution: Murray River, Nestos, Sacramento River, Connecticut River, Lake Ohrid, Volga, Savannah river, Bojana, Seine, Neuse, Don, Lake Skadar, Lake Vrana, Southern Bug, Tagus, Pineios (Thessaly), Guadalquivir, Chorokh, Orange river, Daugava (Western Dvina), Garonne, Ebro, Tiber, Arno, James river, Lake Volvi, Adour, River Ob, Charente, Columbia, Lake Balkhash, Ural, Caspian Sea, Yangtze, Besos, Trent, Guadalupe, Great Ouse, Kuban, Amu Darya, Issyk-Kul lake, Rappahannock, Missouri, Rhine, Meuse (Maas), Dnieper, Dniester, Oder, Elbe, Glomma, Ems, Struma - Strymonas, Scheldt, St. Lawrence River, Apalachicola, Pascagoula River, Pearl river (Gulf of Mexico), Trinity (Texas), Colorado (Texas), Sabine River, Atchafalaya, Brazos, Loire, Weser, Delaware River, Mississippi, Neretva, Guadiana, Kamchiya, Veleka, Adige, Po River, Maritsa (Evros), River Thames, River Wye, River Clyde, River Nene, Bristol Avon, River Witham, River Ribble, River Tees, River Taff, Hudson River, Lake Washington, Vistula, Roanoke River, Santa Ynez River, Danube, Balsas River, Potomac, Lielupe, Neman (Nemunas), Great Salt Lake

Description
Catches (113)

Body elongated and somewhat compressed. Lips thick. Two pairs of barbels at angle of mouth, shorter ones on the upper lip.

Dorsal fin base long with 17-22 branched rays and a strong, toothed spine in front; dorsal fin outline concave anteriorly. Anal fin with 6-7 soft rays; posterior edge of 3rd dorsal and anal fin spines with sharp spinules.

Lateral line with 32 to 38 scales.

Pharyngeal teeth 5:5, teeth with flattened crowns.

Colour variable, wild carp are brownish-green on the back and upper sides, shading to golden yellow ventrally.

The fins are dusky, ventrally with a reddish tinge.

Golden carp are bred for ornamental purposes.

Native Range: Eurasia. Balon (1995) found that Cyprinus carpio evolved in the Caspian Sea, then migrated naturally to the Black and Aral Seas, east to eastern mainland Asia and west as far as the Danube River.