51 replies to this topic

[Young]

I went back to China this spring, and did several collections and samplings. Just want to share some of the fish species from Central China with everyone here. I have explored several rivers and creeks which belong to the Yellow River drainage and Han River drainage (Han River is one of the major tributaries of Yangtze River).  The fish I got are all very common to these rivers and creeks but some of them are really beautiful. 

 

1. Luo River basin,(Major Tributary of Yellow River)

 

I did one collection in Luo River and got about more than 10 species, which didn't include larger fish species like common carp, crucian (gold fish), catfish species and so on.

 

The environment of Luo River, upstream

 

 

 

 

Downstream near the town of Lushi County, my hometown.

 

 

 

 

Pale chub Zacco platypus, very beautiful and very common all across China, Korea and Japan. I don't know why it is called pale chub in English as they are not pale, at least the matured males are not. The pale chub from Luo river has some features that are different from the pale chub of Northern China, Korea and Japan. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to be continued....

Edited by Young, 29 May 2016 - 01:56 AM.

[Evan P]

Very cool. I am always back and forth between thinking Pale Chubs look like giant Cyprinella or Luxilis. Anyways, I hope this doesn't get locked so long as we continue to compare the fish to North American natives. Awesome content.

[Young]

Gobio rivuloides, unique to northern and central China. They are shinning if you watch them schooling in creeks under sunlight. Three golden lines along the two sides and on the back are very obvious. 

 

 

Microphysogobio chinssuensis , unique to the middle and downstream of Yellow River Basin. I only got photos of them in my aquarium.

 

 

Gnathopogon tsinanensis, another Gobioninae species unique to middle and downstream of Yellow River Basin.

 

 

 

Sarcocheilichthys nigripinnis, very common species from Siberia to southern China. 

 

 

 

photo from the aquarium 

 

Edited by Young, 29 May 2016 - 01:50 AM.

[Young]

Very cool. I am always back and forth between thinking Pale Chubs look like giant Cyprinella or Luxilis. Anyways, I hope this doesn't get locked so long as we continue to compare the fish to North American natives. Awesome content.

Yes, you are right. Some of the Zacco species like pale chub look just like giant Cyprinella. which I may say similar to steelcolor shiner or whitetail shiner? While some other Cyprinella like red shiner looks very similar to bitterlings (Rhodeus, Tanakia, and Acheilognathus) of East Asia. Although they belong to different subfamilies of Cyprinidae. 

[Young]

Rosy bitterling Rhodeus ocellatus, they can be found all over China except Tibet plateau, they are also veru common in Korea and Japan. The most southern record was found in Thailand. males are colorful during breeding season, and this subfamily, Acheilognathinae (including three genera, Rhodeus, Tanakia, and Acheilognathus), is famous for their way of breeding. "The female rosy bitterling has a unique pipe about the same length as its own body, used for laying eggs on a specific spot of mussels. Usually, two or three eggs are laid at once and placed on the gill of the mussel. A male spawns into the gill cavity of the mussels right after a female lays eggs to ensure fertilization." ---from Wikipedia 

 

male in my aquarium

 

 

 

female with its "pipe"

 

breeding, the mussel buried itself under the sands.

 

 

Another kind of bittering from downstream of Luo River in Luoyang City, Rhodeus notatus. This species is common in Northern China and Korea.

Male

 

 

Female

 

[Matt DeLaVega]

The similarities are really amazing. I would expect that considering Alligators, bamboo, etc. I won't take this down as is surely can make for interesting discussion. Interesting to see fish parasitizing mussels for a change.

[Isaac Szabo]

Great photos of some beautiful and interesting fish.

[NotCousteau]

Great photos and fish! My LFS sells bitterlings, and they look great!

[gerald]

I wonder what keeps the mussel from clamping down on the bitterling's ovipositor? (ouch!)

Does the mussel "tolerate" the fish's eggs for some reason?  Any benefit to the mussel?

Do they exchange eggs & glochidia at the same time or something like that?

[Michael Wolfe]

Are all of these temperate, river species?  I am not familiar with any of these species, but I am amazed to see them so similar to our own natives.

[Young]

The similarities are really amazing. I would expect that considering Alligators, bamboo, etc. I won't take this down as is surely can make for interesting discussion. Interesting to see fish parasitizing mussels for a change.

The similarities between North America and East Asia are fascinating to me all the time. Alligators, bamboo as you mentioned, also wood duck and mandarin duck, Chinese tulip popular and American tulip popular, also Chinese Catalpa and Northern Catalpa. There are more similarities than we thought. 

 

For the mussels and bitterlings, in fact, they parasitize each other. Bitterlings lay their eggs in the gill of mussels, and the eggs hatch there until the juveniles can swim. Also, mussels with their hatched glochidium inside their gill will be encouraged by the mating behavior of bitterlings and the glochidium will be ejected in tens thousands. Some of the glochidium can patasitize the bitterlings nearby. It's hard to say it's mutualistic as they do hurt each other but also benefit each other. 

[Young]

Great photos and fish! My LFS sells bitterlings, and they look great!

Rhodeus amarus?

[Young]

I wonder what keeps the mussel from clamping down on the bitterling's ovipositor? (ouch!)

Does the mussel "tolerate" the fish's eggs for some reason?  Any benefit to the mussel?

Do they exchange eggs & glochidia at the same time or something like that?

Yes, they do exchange, from my observation, mussels do eject large amount of glochidia shortly after bitterling laying their eggs. Even though a very small part, but still some of the glochidia can have a chance to parasitize bitterlings nearby. 

[Young]

Are all of these temperate, river species?  I am not familiar with any of these species, but I am amazed to see them so similar to our own natives.

They are all temperate and fresh water species. The climate in my home town is very similar to the Ozarks in Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas with distinct four seasons. The fish I got are more common to be found in small size rivers in the mountains and also mountain creeks. In large rivers, like the Yellow River or Yangtze River, the species will be very different. 

[Young]

Cobitis granoci, a kind of loach can be found across Northern China, local people call them changchongyu, which means snake fish. They can be found in Luo River and all the creeks flow into Luo river. C. granoci uses its gills to filter out organic particles in the sands on the bottom of  creeks, so it is very interesting to have them in the aquarium. They filter the sands all the time and keep the sands very clean.  

 

 

 

Cobitis granoci and another kind of loach on the back.

 

Another kind of loach, Triplophysa sellaefer, which can be found in the middle stream of Yellow River Basin. It is common in Luo River and it's tributaries. Not like the Cobitis, this loach feed on small aquatic invertebrates. Along with goby, pale chub and other Cyprinid fish, they finished about more than 300 small shrimps in my aquarium. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the last loach species, Oriental Weather Loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, which is more commonly found in mud bottomed ponds and rivers.

[Betta132]

Is "mutual parasitism" a thing? Because that seems like what's going on with the bitterlings and mussels. 

Love the loaches. Can we get a video of them feeding? I'd like to see those little whiskers and wriggly bodies in action.

[smilingfrog]

 Except for the barbels, Triplophysa sellaefer reminds me of a Rhinichthys.

[Michael Wolfe]

They are all temperate and fresh water species. The climate in my home town is very similar to the Ozarks in Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas with distinct four seasons. The fish I got are more common to be found in small size rivers in the mountains and also mountain creeks. In large rivers, like the Yellow River or Yangtze River, the species will be very different. 

 Amazing that everyone thinks 'tropical' fish are so colorful... these stream fishes are beautiful...

 

Brother from a different mother...

 brothers.jpg   88.66KB   2 downloads

[Young]

Is "mutual parasitism" a thing? Because that seems like what's going on with the bitterlings and mussels. 

Love the loaches. Can we get a video of them feeding? I'd like to see those little whiskers and wriggly bodies in action.

That may be the phrase for it. I am sorry that I am in the States now and cannot take any more picture or video of them. I have released most of them back to the river before I came here.

[Young]

 Amazing that everyone thinks 'tropical' fish are so colorful... these stream fishes are beautiful...

 

Brother from a different mother...

brothers.jpg

What a picture! Even though they belong to two different subfamilies! Most part of China is temperate and subtropical, only a very small portion is real tropical. Another thing that is similar to the United States.