Hypophthalmichthys | |
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Bighead carp | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cypriniformes |
Family: | Cyprinidae |
Genus: | Hypophthalmichthys Bleeker, 1860 |
Species | |
See text. |
Hypophthalmichthys is a genus of cyprinid fish consisting of three species. The name comes from Greek ὑπό, (hypó) "below"; ὀφθαλμός (ophthalmós), "eye"; ἰχθῦς (ichthŷs), "fish", thus "fish with eyes below", referring to the fact that the fish has its eyes below the mouth line.
They are also known as bighead carp, though that term is also locally used for individual species, particularly Hypophthalmichthys nobilis.