Genus

Acheilognathus

Species: 1
Photographed: 1 of 1
Difficulty rated: 1 of 1

Where the name comes fromEdit

from the Greek á- (Gr. ἀ-), meaning 'without', cheílos (Gr. χείλος), meaning ´lip', and gnáthos (Gr. γνάθος), meaning 'jaw', because members of this genus lack, or possess only a lateral, labial fold on the lower jaw.

Acheilognathus macropterusGiant Chinese Bitterling

Bleeker, 1871

The giant Chinese bitterling, Acheilognathus macropterus, is a bitterling from China, the Korean peninsula, northern Vietnam and southeastern Russia. It has been introduced to Japan and is considered invasive there. Typical adults are 100 to 150 mm, and it appears in the trade only irregularly. Like all bitterlings it spawns in living unionid mussels, and its wide range suggests it may be a group of closely-related species.

Moderate