Lake minnow (Rhynchocypris percnurus)

Scientific name: Rhynchocypris percnurus Pallas, 1814

Lake minnow (Rhynchocypris percnurus)

The Lake minnow (Rhynchocypris percnurus) is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 15–23°C (59–73°F).

Lake minnow care at a glance

Temperature
15–23°C (59–73°F)

Biology

Inhabits small lakes, shallows or isolated small bays of larger lakes, swamps, artificial ponds, with abundant vegetation, turbid water, with mud or clay bottom. Prefers to live in still water or slow current. Commonly found in shallows among vegetation in schools of 20-89 individuals. Can survive extreme low oxygen concentrations in summer and winter. Hibernates (in northern regions) during winter or remains inactive at temperatures close to 0?C. Feeds on a wide variety of prey, from plankton to benthic animals. Globally not under threat, but some isolated relict populations in Middle Volga and Poland have already been extirpated, are declining or threatened. Several of these populations may possibly represent a distinct species, which, if confirmed, will significantly change the present conservation assessment.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Rhynchocypris percnurus
Family
Cyprinidae (Minnows or carps)
Order
Cypriniformes (Carps)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
18.5
Common length
9.0
Environment
Freshwater; benthopelagic; non-migratory
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Eurasia: Widespread but highly disjunct range: lakes in Odra, Vistula, Dniepr, Volga (Oka and Kama systems) drainages, isolated localities in Middle Volga, lakes in Arctic Ocean (from Nothern Dvina to Kolyma drainages) and Pacific basins (from Amur to Korea and Japan).
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.19-0.23; tmax=6)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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