Carassius | |
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The Naga-buna, a close relative of the Goldfish | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cypriniformes |
Family: | Cyprinidae |
Subfamily: | Cyprininae |
Genus: | Carassius Nilsson, 1832 |
Carassius is a genus in the ray-finned fish family Cyprinidae. The species in this genus are commonly known as Crucian carps, though this term often specifically refers to C. carassius. The most well known is the goldfish (C. auratus), which was bred from the Prussian carp (C. gibelio). They have a Eurasian distribution, apparently originating further to the west than the typical carps (Cyprinus), which include the common carp (C. carpio).
They are not particularly close relatives of the typical carps, but rather form a more basal lineage of the subfamily Cyprininae.[1]