Carassius gibelio
(Prussian carp)

Preferred Common Name

• Prussian carp

Other Scientific Names

• Carassius auratus gibelio
• Carassius auratus gibelio vovkii Johansen, 1945
• Carassius ellipticus Heckel, 1848
• Carassius vulgaris kolenty Dybowski, 1877
• Carassius vulgaris ventrosus Walecki, 1863
• Cyprinus amarus Koch, 1840
• Cyprinus gibelio Bloch, 1782

International Common Names

• English: giebel; golden carp; silver crucian carp

Local Common Names

• Bulgaria: srebarna karracuda
• China: yin ji
• Czech Republic: karas stríbritý; karas stribrity eurasijsky; karas striebristy
• Denmark: damkaruds; damkarusse; sølvkaruds
• Estonia: gibel carp; hõbekoger
• Finland: hopearuutana
• Germany: Silberkarausche
• Greece: iItaliko; petalouda; petalouda
• Hungary: ezüst kárász
• Kyrgyzstan: cyeryebryaniy karas' (Silver crucian); kumustoy taman balik
• Latvia: serebreanyi karas; sudrabkarusa
• Lithuania: sidabrinis karosas
• Mongolia: giebel carp
• Netherlands: giebel
• Poland: karas srebrzysty; karas srebrzysty a. japonczyk
• Romania: caracuda argintie; caras; caras-argintiu; crap-caras
• Russian Federation: obyknovennyi serebryanyi karas'; syeryebristiy karas'; syeryebryaniy karas'
• Serbia: karas zlatas
• Slovenia: zlatni koreselj
• Sweden: silverruda
• Turkey: kirmizi havuz baligi
• Ukraine: karas sriblyastyi; serebryanyi karas
• Uzbekistan: goldfish
• Vietnam: cá diec bac

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

The identity of the fish on which basis Bloch described the species Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782) is considered by some to be doubtful. The Carassiusauratus  complex with a number of forms (formerly subspecies) are recognised by some authors. In waters of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, 4 forms are recognised and include C. auratus gibelio (M Lusk, Institute of Vertebrate Biology ASCR, Czech Republic, personal communication, 2011).

C. gibelio may be identified from its congeners in Europe by having the following characters: body silvery-brown in colour; last simple anal and dorsal rays strongly serrated; 37-52 gill rakers; lateral line with 29-33 scales; freed edge of dorsal concave or straight; anal fin with 5½ branched rays; and peritoneum black (Kottelat and Freyhof, 2007).

C. gibelio was intentionally introduced either to Belarus or Poland for stock enhancement, recreational and aquaculture purposes, with a secondary dispersal route being the central corridor (the rivers Dnieper and Pripyat, the Dnieper-Bug Canal, the Western River Bug, the River Vistula, the Bydgoski Canal, the rivers Notec, Warta, and Oder, the Oder-Spree and Oder-Havel canals, and the River Rhine). During a recent survey, C. gibelio were not found in the main riverbed of the River Pripyat, but occurred in its oxbows, although it was only caught in low numbers (two to three individuals per fish-net). In the Vistula and Bug river basins, C. gibelio have been noted since the 1940s; however, during recent surveys it was present only in the Wloclawski Reservoir in the lower River Vistula (Semenchenko et al., 2011).

In Belgium, C. gibelio is thought to have been introduced together with common carp, but there is no supporting archaeological or historical evidence and the species was probably present in Flanders at least by the seventeenth century. Now the most widespread non-indigenous fish in Flanders, C. gibelio occurs locally in high densities. The physical similarity of the brown variety of goldfish, C. gibelio and native crucian carp Carassius carassius has resulted in these species being commonly mistaken for native crucian carp (Wheeler, 2000; Vetemaa et al., 2005). This confusion led to many legal stockings of C. gibelio, instead of crucian carp, into Flemish public waters until the 1990s when the Flemish government prohibited the stocking of both species. Stocking with native crucian carp of known origin (from aquaculture facilities of the Flemish government) was reinstated in 2000. Despite the prohibition on C. gibelio stocking, the number of sites inhabited by C. gibelio carp increased significantly between 1996 and 2005 but in significantly decreasing relative densities. This suggests that C. gibelio carp are still in a dispersal and colonization phase, but that established populations are stabilizing within the invaded communities since stocking ceased (Verreycken et al., 2007).

C. gibelio dispersed into the river networks of the Czech Republic from the River Danube via the River Morava. The first recordings, around the confluence of the Morava and Dyje rivers, date from 1976. Over subsequent years, C. gibelio gradually invaded streams within drainage areas through natural dispersal, overcoming boundaries due to both the intentional and unintentional help of man, predominantly as an admixture to carp (Cyprinus carpio) stocking material. Within 15 years, C. gibelio had occupied all suitable habitats in the Czech Republic (Lusková et al., 2010), recognised as C. a. gibelio (see Notes on Taxonomy and Nomenclature). The first occupations in 1975-1985 were by triploid females. The occurrence of triploid males and tetraploid males and females is very scarce (Luskova et al., 2004; 2008).

C. gibelio are present in the Thrace region of Turkey. The path of entry is unknown although it is possible that the fish entered either through natural dispersal through river systems from Greece and Bulgaria, or were introduced by humans. Fishermen have admitted intentionally introductions from Kayali Dam to Büyükcekmece Dam Lake (Özulug et al., 2004).

Unintentional Introduction

It is highly likely that C. a. gibelio [C. gibelio] has been introduced mistakenly as C. carassius and other Carassius species, or unitentionally mixed with Cyprinus carpio (M Lusk, Institute of Vertebrate Biology ASCR, Czech Republic, personal communication, 2011).

Intentional Introduction

C. a. gibelio [C. gibelio] has been intentionally introduced for production reasons and also possibly for sport angling in the eastern parts of the former Soviet Union and in several countries in eastern Europe (M Lusk, Institute of Vertebrate Biology ASCR, Czech Republic, personal communication, 2011).

 Natural Dispersal

Automigration of C. a. gibelio [C. gibelio] has taken place within river basins (e.g. in the Czech Republic: Danube – Morava rivers; Slovakia: Danube (western part), Tisa River (eastern part)) (M Lusk, Institute of Vertebrate Biology ASCR, Czech Republic, personal communication, 2011).

In aquaculture systems, C. gibelio is an unwelcome competitor with cultures of the major reared species. The occurrence of numerous populations of C. gibelio in fishponds causes considerable economic loss in the Czech Republic as there is no market for the species. Even when it can be sold, it reaches a considerably lower price (Lusková et al., 2010).

C. gibelio has caused significant impact in all countries of introduction in Europe (Savini et al., 2010, comparison of invasive species databases). In a 6-year study in a mesotrophic reservoir in Turkey, Tarkan et al. (2012b) observed a relative decrease in native cyprinid density when C. gibelio density increased. This was attributed to a combination of degrading environmental conditions and reproductive competition by C. gibelio.

• Altered trophic level
• Changed gene pool/ selective loss of genotypes
• Damaged ecosystem services
• Ecosystem change/ habitat alteration
• Modification of natural benthic communities
• Modification of nutrient regime
• Negatively impacts aquaculture/fisheries
• Reduced native biodiversity
• Threat to/ loss of native species

• Competition - monopolizing resources
• Hybridization

• Highly likely to be transported internationally accidentally
• Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately
• Difficult to identify/detect in the field