Xenocyprididae, Günther, 1868

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 425

Family Xenocyprididae

Chinese carps

The aggregation of non-native East Asian carps has been placed in several cyprinid subfamilies, depending on which molecular characters were studied. The genera Squaliobarbus , Elopichthys , Ctenopharyngodon , and Mylopharyngodon were previously classified within the Cyprinid subfamily Squaliobarbinae . Hypophthalmichthys has been placed in the family Leuciscidae . The results of recent, comprehensive molecular studies place these fishes in Xenocyprididae . Xenocyprididae is a diverse group that encompasses species native to Southeast Asia (e.g. Macrochirichthys , and Parachela ) and East Asia (e.g., Culter , Chanodichthys , and Ochetobius ). They represent an independent adaptive radiation within the order Cypriniformes and exhibit remarkable morphological and ecological diversity. In East Asia, they form similar ecological niches to those of Leuciscids in the West, and some are even superficially similar to Alburnus , Leuciscus , Chondrostoma , and others. Some species attain considerable size and exhibit rapid growth; four have been cultivated and widely introduced. Several other species are small pond dwellers, including Aphyocypris , Hemigrammocypris , and Metzia . Xenocypridis are particularly abundant in lowland freshwater ecosystems, with some species being ubiquitous. Some are also resistant to the majority of human impacts. One species, Hemiculter leucisculus , was introduced to the Aral basin and has become invasive along the southern and western coast

Ctenopharyngodon idella ; aquaculture, Germany; ~ 600 mm SL.© A. Hartl.