Mylopharyngodon piceus (black amur)

Pictures

Picture	Title	Caption	Copyright
Title Adult Caption Mylopharyngodon piceus (black amur); adult, in hand. USA. Copyright Public Domain/Released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)-Original image by Leo G. Nico/via wikipedia	Adult	Mylopharyngodon piceus (black amur); adult, in hand. USA.	Public Domain/Released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)-Original image by Leo G. Nico/via wikipedia

Identity

Preferred Scientific Name

• Mylopharyngodon piceus Richardson, 1846

Preferred Common Name

• black amur

Other Scientific Names

• Barbus tonkinensis Sauvage, 1884
• Leucisculus fuscus Oshima, 1920
• Leuciscus aethiops Basilewsky, 1855
• Leuciscus dubius Bleeker, 1865
• Leuciscus piceus Richardson, 1846
• Myloleuciscus atripinnis Garman, 1912
• Mylopharyngodon aethiops Basilewsky, 1855

International Common Names

• English: black carp; carp, black; Chinese roach

Local Common Names

• Bangladesh: snail carp
• Bulgaria: cheren amur
• Hong Kong: hak waan
• Japan: ai-uo
• Malaysia: kap hitam
• Mexico: caracolera; carpa negra
• Poland: amur czarny
• Romania: crap negru chinezese; scoicar
• Russian Federation: tschernyi amur
• Ukraine: chernyi amur; tschernyi amur

Summary of Invasiveness

Establishment of M. piceus in the wild could have serious adverse impacts, due to predation on native mollusc species, including threatened and endangered species and fingernail clam populations, a primary food source of migrating waterfowl and fish. M. piceus are hosts to parasites, flukes, bacterial and viral diseases. It could possibly transfer these to other fish species. It serves as intermediate host for human parasites (e.g. schistosoma), or parasites relevant to fish culture, such as the yellow and white grubs in channel catfish and stripe bass farming.

Taxonomic Tree

• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Metazoa
•         Phylum: Chordata
•             Subphylum: Vertebrata
•                 Class: Actinopterygii
•                     Order: Cypriniformes
•                         Family: Cyprinidae
•                             Genus: Mylopharyngodon
•                                 Species: Mylopharyngodon piceus

Description

M. piceus is a blackish-brown fish with blackish-grey fins and an elongated, relatively compressed body (USGS, 2004). Its scales are very large with dark edges, giving the fish a cross-hatched appearance (Crosier and Molloy, 2004). It has a pointed head with an arc-shaped terminal mouth (FAO, 2004). It has a short and pointed dorsal fin which is located above pelvic fins containing 7-8 rays (Crosier and Molloy, 2004). It can grow to a maximum length of 131 cm (Crosier and Molloy, 2004) and the largest specimen found to date [2004] is around 70 kg (FAO, 2004). M. piceus closely resembles the grass carp in appearance (body shape and size; coloration; appearance; position; shape of fins; position and size of eyes), but may be most easily distinguished by differences in the formation of the pharyngeal teeth (Crosier and Molloy, 2004) (see section on Anatomy).

Distribution

Mylopharyngodon piceus is native to most pacific drainages in eastern Asia at the same latitudes to where it is found in the USA (USGS, 2004).

Distribution Table

The distribution in this summary table is based on all the information available. When several references are cited, they may give conflicting information on the status. Further details may be available for individual references in the Distribution Table Details section which can be selected by going to Generate Report.

Introductions

Natural Food Sources

Climate

Pathway Causes

Pathway Vectors

Impact Summary

Environmental Impact

Nico et al. (2005 in Nico, 2011) notes "there is high potential that the black carp would negatively impact native aquatic communities by feeding on, and reducing, populations of native mussles and snails, many of which are considered endangered or threatened".

Impact: Biodiversity

Establishment of Mylopharyngodon piceus populations in the wild could have serious adverse impacts, due to predation on native mollusc species, including threatened and endangered species and fingernail clam populations, a primary food source of migrating waterfowl and fish (Rothbard et al., 1996). M. piceus are hosts to parasites, flukes, bacterial and viral diseases. It could possibly transfer these to other fish species. It serves as intermediate host for human parasites (e.g. schistosoma), or parasites relevant to fish culture, such as the yellow and white grubs in channel catfish and stripe bass farming (Mitchell, 1995 as stated in Rothbard et al., 1996).

Uses List

Human food and beverage

• Fresh meat
• Whole

References

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Barua SP, Khan MMH, Ali Reza AHM, 2001. The status of alien invasive species in Bangladesh and their impact on the ecosystems. In: Balakrishna P, ed. Report of Workshop on Alien Invasive species, GBF-SSEA. Colombo. IUCN Regional Biodiversity Programme, Asia, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1-8.

Blanc M, Gaudet JL, Banarescu P, Hureau JC, 1971. European inland water fish: a multilingual catalogue. London: Fishing News (Books) Ltd.

Bogutskaya NG, Naseka AM, 1996. Cyclostomata and fishes of Khanka Lake drainage area (Amur river basin). An annotated check-list with comments on taxonomy and zoogeography of the region. Zool. Inst. Russ. Acad. Sci., 89 pp.

Chick JH, Maher RJ, Burr BM, Thomas MR, 2003. First black carp captured in US. Science, 300:1876-1877.

Crosier DM, Molloy DP, 2004. Mylopharyngodon piceus - Black Carp. Online at www.wes.army.mil/el/ansrp/mylopharyngodon_piceus.htm. Accessed on 10 June 2004.

Cui J, Ren X, Yu Q, 1991. Nuclear DNA content variation in fishes. Cytologia, 56(3):425-429.

DAISIE, 2011. European Invasive Alien Species Gateway. http://www.europe-aliens.org/

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DIAS, 2004. FAO Database on Introductions of Aquatic Species. Online at www.fao.org/figis/. Accessed 25 February 2005.

EPA, 2004. Injurious Wildlife Species; Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus). Online at www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-IMPACT/2002/July/Day-30/i19158.htm. Accessed 4 June 2004.

FAO, 1997. FAO Database on Introduced Aquatic Species. FAO, Rome, Italy: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.

FAO, 2004. The biology of major freshwater cultivated fishes in China. Online at www.fao.org/docrep/field/003/AC233E/AC233E01.htm. Accessed 4 June 2004.

FishBase, 2004. Entry for Mylopharyngodon piceus. Main ref. Bogutskaya NG, Naseka AM, 1996. Cyclostomata and fishes of Khanka Lake drainage area (Amur river basin). An annotated check-list with comments on taxonomy and zoogeography of the region. Zool. Inst. Russ. Acad. Sci., 44. Online at www.fishbase.org. Accessed 9 June 2004.

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Kottelat M, 2001. Freshwater fishes of northern Vietnam. A preliminary check-list of the fishes known or expected to occur in northern Vietnam with comments on systematics and nomenclature. Environment and Social Development Unit, East Asia and Pacific Region. The World Bank. Freshwater Fish, Vietnam, 123 pp.

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Nico LG, 2011. Mylopharyngodon piceus. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database. Gainesville, Florida, USA: USGS. http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=573

NOBANIS, 2011. North European and Baltic Network on Invasive Alien Species. http://www.nobanis.org/

Rothbard S, Rubinshtein I, Shelton WL, 1996. The Black Carp, Mylopharyngodon piceus, as a Biocontrol of Freshwater Molluscs, YAFIT Laboratory, Fish Breeding Center, Israel, University of Oklahoma.

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Contributors

Main Author
Sunil Siriwardena
Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK

Distribution Maps

• = Present, no further details
• = Evidence of pathogen
• = Widespread
• = Last reported
• = Localised
• = Presence unconfirmed
• = Confined and subject to quarantine
• = See regional map for distribution within the country
• = Occasional or few reports

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