biological characteristics of some selected carps

Salient Biological Characteristics of Some Selected Carps

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural UniversitySalna, Gazipur-1706

WHAT IS CARP?

The species of fishes which belongs to family Cyprinidae under the order Cypriniformes is called carps. As for example: Labeo rohita.

The major carps which are cultured in our country can be named these three groups on the basis of their geographical occurrence.

• Indian Major Carps: Rui (Labeo rohita), Catla (Catla catla), Mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala).

• Chinese Carps: Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), Bighead Carp (Aristichthysnobilis).

• European Carps: Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Salient Biological Characteristics of-

1. Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

2. Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)

3. Bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis)

4. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

5. Catla (Catla catla)

6. Rohu (Labeo rohita)

7. Mrigal (Cirrhinus cirrhosus)









Figure: Ctenopharyngodon idella

1. Species: Ctenopharyngodon idella

1.1. Food and feeding habit:

• The natural food of grass carp fry about 7-9 mm nauplii towhich diet Cladocera and copepods.

• Organic detritus is added up to a length of about 23mm.

• As the fry grow to about 30 mm length, phytoplanktonand minute algae become conspicuous additions to the diet.

• For fish above 30 mm, the natural diet is virtuallyexclusively macro vegetation, tender aquatic weeds likewolffia.

• The fry and larger fish take to substances like cerealbrans, oilcakes, silkworm pupae, kitchen refuse.

1.2. Growth:

• In natural waters, grass carp attains a length of 15 to 30cm weighing 225 g at the end of first year.

• A length of 60 cm and a weight of 1.8 to 2.3 kg at theend of second year.

• After four years, the weight may be 4.5 kg.

• In Chinese ponds, grass carp attains a weight of 225 to680 g in first year, 1,200 to 2,300 g in second, 2,700 g inthird and 3,800 g in the fourth year.


1.3. Maturity:


Age at which grass carp attains maturity varies greatly with climateand environmental factors, especially temperature.

Country Age at maturity (years)

Weight(kg)

China South4-5 6-8

Central 4-5 6-8

Northeast 6-7 6-8

India Pond-bred 2 1.5

Wild 3 4-8

Malaysia 1-2 2.3-3.2

Taiwan 4-5 3 or more

Adapted from Chang et al. (1983).

Table : Size and age at first maturity of grass carp in different countries.

1.4. Fecundity:


Total

length

(cm)

Weight of

fish (gm)

Weight of

ovaries

(gm)

Weight of fish:

Weight of ovaries

Total no.

of eggs

Average

diameter

of ova

(mm)

73.8 4766 540 6.7 : 1 372600 1.21

75.0 5830 880 6.6 : 1 441700 1.31

75.8 4880 744 6.5 : 1 563900 1.19

78.6 5476 656 8.3 : 1 396200 1.35

78.9 5724 1129 5 : 1 618100 1.30

79.2 7036 553 12.7 : 1 308800 1.33

Fecundity means, the number of eggs present in the ovaries

From Alikunhi and Parameswaran (1963)

Table : Size and fecundity of Grass Carp

1.5. Breeding season & spawning:


The fish breeds during monsoon (April-July) months in the flowing watersof its natural habitat, the rivers, but (does not spawn naturally in thestatic waters of ponds and tanks).

Salient Biological Characteristics of-1. Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)2. Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)

3. Bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis)4. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)5. Catla (Catla catla)6. Rohu (Labeo rohita)7. Mrigal (Cirrhinus cirrhosus)

Figure: Catla catla


• One-to three-day old fry, when about 7-9 mm long, mainlyfeed on zooplankton, rotifers and copepod nauplii.

• Larger fry and adults feed on Flagellata, Dinofiagellata,Myxophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, etc., primarilyphytoplankton and secondarily zooplankton.

• The fish shows certain anatomical and morphologicalmodifications in correlation with its phytoplanktophagousfeeding habit.

• The length of the gut of the adult fish is 15 times thebody length.

2. Species: Hypophthalmichthys molitrix

2.2. Growth:


Age(years) Body length(cm) Weight(g)

2 50.0 1,803

3 57.6 4,650

4 60.3 5,340

5 63.0 6,400


Weight(kg)

China South4-5 6-8

Central 4-5 6-8

Northeast 6-7 6-8

India Pond-bred 2 1.5

Wild 3 4-8

Malaysia 1-2 2.3-3.2


Table : Size and age at first maturity of grass carp in different countries.

2.4. Fecundity:



• Alikunhi and Parameswaran (1963) reported the fecundity of silvercarp weighing 3.18 kg to 8.51 kg, as 145,000 to 2,044,000.

• The number of eggs per gm body weight was 171 and per gm ovaryweight, 292.

• The eggs from the yearlings of silver carp, 0.6 to 2.4 kg in weight,measured, on average, 1.20 mm in diameter, whereas those of 4-year old fish were about 11% larger



• The fish breeds naturally during April-July in the flowing waters of its naturalhabitat.

• In the Tone River in Japan, where the fish has established itself, it spawnsnaturally during June-July.

• The fish does not spawn naturally in ponds and tanks


1. Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)2. Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)3. Bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis)4. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)5. Catla (Catla catla)6. Rohu (Labeo rohita)7. Mrigal (Cirrhinus cirrhosus)

Figure: Aristichthys nobilis


• Bighead Carp feed on diverse forms of planktonic life,mainly zooplankton as well as Bacillariophyceae, Flagellata,Dinoflagellata, Myxophyceae, etc.

• The alimentary canal of this fish is much shorter, size forsize than that of silver carp, a difference brought aboutby the necessity of having to digest primarily zooplanktonin bighead carp and phytoplankton in silver carp.

• The food of this fish resembles more that of the Indianmajor carp catla, which is also predominantly a zooplanktonfeeder.

3. Species: Aristichthys nobilis

3.2. Growth:


Age(years) Body length(cm) Weight(g)

2 63.0 3,250

3 74.6 10,700

4 75.1 10,900

5 77.8 11,800

The length and weight of bighead carp in the first five years of its life, under certain conditions is given below:


Weight(kg)

China South3-4 5-10

Central 4-5 5-10

Northeast 6-7 5-10


Table : Size and age at first maturity of Bighead carp in different countries.

3.3. Maturity:


2.4. Fecundity:


• The fecundity is 126 eggs per gram of body weight.



The fish breeds during monsoon months in the flowing watersof its natural habitat, the rivers, but does not spawn naturallyin the static waters of ponds and tanks.


1. Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)2. Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)3. Bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis)4. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)5. Catla (Catla catla)6. Rohu (Labeo rohita)7. Mrigal (Cirrhinus cirrhosus)

Figure: Cyprinus carpio


• Post larvae up to 10.0 mm long feed on, among otherorganisms, Ceriodaphnia, Moina, Cyclops and nauplii.

• Twenty-to 100-mm long common carp feed on, among otherorganisms, Diaptomus, Cyclops, rotifers, Diaphanosoma,Moina, Ceriodaphnia, ostracods, insects includingchironomid larvae, Euglena and Closterium.

• Common carp bigger than 10 cm thrive on decayedvegetable matter containing bottom dwelling organisms,notably tubificids, molluscs, chironomids, ephemerids andtrichopterans.

4. Species: Cyprinus carpio

4.2. Growth:

Table : Growth of Cyprinus carpio in different countries.


The size and age of common carp at first maturity in different countries aredifferent. The males have remarkably highly developed testes and some have theabdomen bulging as conspicuously as in the case of gravid females. The weight oftestes in some males may be as high as 20 to 30% of the total body weight.

Country Weight at the end of

1st year 2nd year 3rd year 4th year

China 300 900 1500 2000

Malaysia400 800 - -Thailand

Indonesia

Europe 35-50 350-500 1250-1500 2500

England 15 200 600 1300

From Alikunhi (1966).

4.3. Maturity:


The size and age of common carp at first maturity in different countries are as shown in Table .

Country

Water

temperature

during

spawning

season (0C)

Age (Years)

At first

Maturity

Length (cm)

Weight (gm)

Spawning

season

Europe 15-18 3-4 40-45 1,500-2,500 May-June

China 17-19 2-3 40-45 1,500-2,500 April-May

Japan 12-30 0.2-0.3 30-38 500-900 April-May

Indonesia 19-30 1-1.5 30-40 1,000-2,000 Year round

Thailand 26-29 1-1.5 30-40 1,000-2,000 Year round

Table : Size and age at first maturity of common carp under different climate condition

4.4. Fecundity:


Length(cm)

Total Weight(gm)

Ovaries: Percentage of total weight

Range Average No eggs No eggs/govary

15-25 0.058-0.290 8.7-32.9 20.7 6,360-25,942 517-1,388

25-35 0.309-0.795 3.6-37.9 18.0 46,648-60,720 437-1,793

35-45 0.817-2.043 7.5-32.5 18.0 120,448-146,328

549-1,697

45-55 2.143-3.632 7.0-32.3 20.6 281,790-551,580

440-941

55-65 2.902-7.600 5.3-37.8 24.0 776,020-1,748,000

53-912

Over 65

13.62 26.7 - 2,045,552 811


• Breed naturally in pond.

• The fish breeds throughout the year in tropical climates(e.g., in Indonesia) with two peak breeding periods, oneduring spring often lasting from January to April and theother during autumn often lasting from July to October.

• Where the fish does not breed throughout the year, itgenerally breeds twice a year during spring and autumn.










Figure: Catla catla

5. Species: Catla catla


Food item Juvenile (%) Adult(%)

Crustacean 79.68 64.20

Algae 9.68 30.06

Macro-vegetation 1.03 2.41

Rotifers 5.66 1.19

Insects 2.87 .99

Protozoa .50 .01

Molluscs .03 -

Polyzoa .02 -

Decayed organic matter .13 .60

Sand & Mud .40 .54

5.2. Growth:


• Catla is the fastest growing of the Indianmajor carps.

• In natural waters, catla attains a length of295 mm (weight 354g) in the first year, 514mm (weight 2,193 g) in the second year, 716mm (weight 6,501 g) in the third year, 323mm (10,282 g) in the fourth year and 917 mm(weight 14,665 g) in the fifth year.


5.3. Maturity:

• Catla attains first maturity in the second year of life.

• Alikunhi (1957) mentioned that in ponds catla becomesmature when 22 months old.

• Natarajan and Jhingran (1963) estimated that catlafrom River Yamuna at first maturity were in the secondyear age-group.

5.4. Fecundity:


• Khan (1924) found 400,275 eggs in a specimen of catlaweighing 5.1 kg.

• The number of eggs per kg body weight was estimated byhim to be 77,832.

• Natarajan (personal communication) found the fecundityof catla to vary from 230,831 to 4,202,250, dependingupon the length and weight of the fish and the weight ofthe ovary.



The spawning season of catla coincides with thesouthwest monsoon in north eastern India andBangladesh, where it lasts from May to August andin north India and Pakistan, from June toSeptember.


1. Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)2. Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)3. Bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis)4. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)5. Catla (Catla catla)6. Rohu (Labeo rohita)


Figure: Labeo rohita

6. Species: Labeo rohita


• Rohu is Bottom column feeder.

• Prefers to feed on plant matter including decaying vegetation;

• Rohu fingerlings 100-250 mm long subsist on unicellular and filamentous algae (15%), rotting vegetation (55%), rotifers and protozoans (2%) and crustaceans (8%).

• The rotten vegetation component in the food increases in bigger fish.


6.2. Growth:

• Under culture conditions, highly variable growth hasbeen mentioned by different workers.

• It is a very quick growing fish though having asomewhat slower growth rate than catla.

6.3. Maturity:

• Rohu attains maturity towards the end of the second year in ponds(Alikunhi 1957).

• It has been observed at Cuttack, India that a certain percentage ofboth males and females reached sexual maturity in one year only.

• It is reported that rohu matures in Bangladesh at the age of 3-4years.

• The gonads started developing during the month of February, theripe stage was reached during June and July and finally spentindividuals were found in late July and early August.


6.4. Fecundity:

The fecundity of rohu is reported to vary from 2,26,000 to27,94,000, depending upon the length and weight of the fish andweight of the ovary.


• The spawning season of rohu generally coincides with thesouthwest monsoon, though it appears to be somewhat variable indifferent parts of India.

• April – June is breeding season for Rui in Halda river.









Figure: Cirrhinus cirrhosus

7. Species: Cirrhinus cirrhosus


• Mrigal is a detritus eater with a narrow range in food variety.

• It is a bottom feeder subsisting mainly on decayed vegetation.

• Some workers consider mrigal an omnivore also frequenting thewater column for feeding.

• Semi-decayed organic matter constitutes about 65 to 78% ofthe gut contents of the different size groups of mrigal

• Considerable amounts of sand and mud, measuring up to about21% of the gut contents.

7.2. Growth:

• In natural waters, the fish shows a very rapid growthrate in the first four years of its life.

• Followed by a period of slow growth in the next threeyears.

• The growth rate thereafter becomes even slower.

7.3. Maturity:

• Mrigal is reported to attain its first maturity when about one yearold or two years old (Khan 1934;Alikunhi 1957).

• According to Chacko and Ganapati (1951), the males mature at theend of the first year and females, sometime later.

• Hanumantharao (1971) reported the first maturity of mrigal at alength of 349 mm, when the fish was 2+ years old.


7.4. Fecundity:

• Khan (1934) observed the fecundity of mrigal to vary from1,24,800 to 19,05,000 in specimens weighing 904 gm and 4,503 gmrespectively.

• According to Qasim and Quyyum (1962), mrigal contains a singlegroup of maturing eggs in the ovaries and spawns once a year.

• Khan (1972) confirming these findings stated that the size ofoocytes started to increase in April. The maximum size of ova wasrecorded during June



• The spawning season of mrigal depends on the onset and durationof the monsoon. It coincides with the southwest monsoon inIndia, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

• The duration of the spawning season varies in different regionsof the subcontinent as shown in Table


Locality Spawning Season

Chittagong April-June

Chittagong Rivers Halda and Karnafuli April-July

Ganga River system (depending upon) April-August

Northern India (River Ganga) June-August

Punjab July and August

Adapted from Jhingran and Khan (1979).

Table : Spawning season of mrigal in different regions.

THIS IS ALL ABOUT

THANKS TO ALL

biological characteristics of some selected carps

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