| Sharpbelly | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Genus: | Hemiculter |
| Species: | H. leucisculus |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemiculter leucisculus (Basilewsky, 1855) |
|
The sharpbelly, Hemiculter leucisculus, Korean sharpbelly, or common sawbelly is a tropical freshwater and brackish water fish belonging to the Cultrinae sub-family of the Cyprinidae family. It originates in large streams and reservoirs in China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and the Amur River basin. It has become established as an exotic species in several other countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, and the former Soviet Union, where it has displaced local species. It was originally described as Culter leucisculus by S. Basilewsky in 1855, and has also been referred to as Chanodichthys leucisculus and Hemiculter leucisculus warpachowskii in scientific literature.
The fish reaches a size of up to 23.0 centimetres (9.1 in), and is native to freshwater and brackish habitats with a pH of 7.0, a hardness of 15 DH, and a temperature of 18° to 22° C (64° to 72° F). It is green-gray on the back, and white in the stomach.
The main bulk of the diet includes zooplankton, insects, crustaceans, algae and detritus. It is of minor commercial importance, primarily in China, where it is canned. In Hong Kong, it is not favored as a table fish because the flesh is unpalatable and very bony.