Edit Acheilognathus macropterus

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Name

Scientific name

Acheilognathus macropterus

Described by

Authority Bleeker, Year 1871, Bracketed

Family

Cyprinidae

Common names

Giant Chinese Bitterling, Riesenbitterling

Photograph credits

All 3 credited

Summary

The giant Chinese bitterling, Acheilognathus macropterus, is a bitterling from China, the Korean peninsula, northern Vietnam and southeaste…

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

275mm, standard length

Aquarium size

Minimum length 180 cm, Minimum depth 60 cm

Water

Water conditions

Temperature 14–22°C, pH 6–8

Hardness

2–15dGH

Conductivity

Not recorded

Behaviour

Temperament

Predatory

Community suitability

Community-safe

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, Vietnam, Amur, Bei, Dong, Nakdong, Qiantang, Red, Songhua, Yangtze, Yellow, Zhu

Writing

Etymology

Acheilognathus: from the Greek á- (Gr. ἀ-), meaning 'without', cheílos (Gr. χείλος), meaning ´lip', and gnáthos (Gr. γνάθος), meaning 'jaw', because members of…

Distribution

Native to China, the Korean peninsula, northern Vietnam, and southeastern Russia. It has been introduced to, and is considered invasive, in Japan. In China it'…

Habitat

Tends to occur in vegetated, slowly-moving sections of rivers and appears particularly well-adapted to large bodies of standing water, including man-made reser…

Aquarium size

Requires a large aquarium with minimum base dimensions of 180 ∗ 60 cm or equivalent.

Maintenance

An aquarium arranged to resemble a slowly-flowing stream or river with a substrate of variably-sized, water-worn rocks, sand, fine gravel and perhaps some smal…

Water conditions

Not written yet

Diet

An omnivore preying on insects and their larvae as well as browsing algae and other vegetation in nature although in the aquarium it's a largely unfussy feeder…

Behaviour and compatibility

Not aggressive except when breeding, although it seems feasible that much smaller tankmates may be eaten by adults. It should do well alongside similarly-sized…

Sexual dimorphism

Males possess more extended rays in the dorsal and anal fins than females, while nuptial males display an overall more intense colour pattern, with a pale pink…

Reproduction

Bitterlings (see 'Notes') exhibit an unusual spawning symbiosis in which the interlamellar spaces of the paired inner and outer gills of living unionid mussels…

Bitterlings (see 'Notes') exhibit an unusual spawning symbiosis in which the interlamellar spaces of the paired inner and outer gills of living unionid mussels are used as a spawning substrate.

During the reproductive period females develop a long ovipositor which is used to deposit eggs through the mussel’s exhalant siphon. Males then move in to males release milt into the mussels’ inhalant siphon in order to fertilize them while aggressively defending the area against other males. The embryos and emergent fry possess characteristic morphology, physiology, and behaviour, which enables them to remain in the host mussel until they swim free after 2-6 weeks, depending on species.

Adult females tend to spawn in more than a single mussel during each spawning season, and multiple clutches from several females of one or more bitterling species may be hosted in a single mussel.

Although most bitterlings spawn in spring a few Acheilognathus species do so in autumn, with the hatched embryos exhibiting arrested development during winter. Studies suggest this to represent a genetically determined diapause and that all species adopting this strategy evolved from a common ancestor.

Since the native mussel species used by A. macropterus during reproduction is unknown, captive reproduction seems unlikely at present, although it may prove adaptable since some bitterlings are host-specific whereas others are not. In Lake Kasumigaura, Japan, where it is considered invasive, it is known to use a native bivalve, Unio douglasiae, for example.

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My own experienceFor example, I've kept twelve in a planted 60 cm tank since March 2024.A website I sawFor example, an IUCN Red List assessment, a museum catalogue or a FishBase page.A paperFor example, Marshall et al. (2011), Water temperature differences in interfluvial palm swamp habitats of Paracheirodon axelrodi and P. simulans.A book, or something not onlineFor example, Tappin (2010), Rainbowfishes: their care and keeping in captivity.Something already on the pageFor example, the Behaviour and compatibility section already says this.

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DOI

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Year

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Pages

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Notes

A. macropterus appears in the ornamental trade on an irregular basis and should only be considered by more experienced aquarists with sufficiently large facili…

References

11 on this profile

Name

Scientific name

Described by

Family

Common names

Photograph credits

Summary

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

Aquarium size

Water

Water conditions

Hardness

Conductivity

Behaviour

Temperament

Social needs

Community suitability

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Writing

Etymology

Distribution

Habitat

Aquarium size

Maintenance

Water conditions

Diet

Behaviour and compatibility

Sexual dimorphism

Reproduction

Notes

References

References