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Organism (ORGA)
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BCH-ORGA-SCBD-301022-1   |   PDF   |   Print   |  
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last updated: 09 Sep 2026
Organism information
Cyprinus carpio
Realm Eukarya
Kingdom Metazoa/Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Actinopteri/Actinopterygii
Order Cypriniformes
Family Cyprinidae
Genus Cyprinus
Species Cyprinus carpio
  • Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758
  • Carpio carpio Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Carp
    EN
  • Common carp
    EN
  • Mirror carp
    EN
  • Koi carp
    EN
Fish
Domesticated
Characteristics related to biosafety
Cyprinus carpio is native to Eurasian drainage systems, especially the Black, Caspian, and Aral Sea basins. The species occurs naturally in rivers draining to these basins, and the population in the Danube river is considered an origin of the European form.
EN
The genetic diversity of common carp is structured around Eurasian wild and domesticated lineages. The Black, Caspian, Aral, and Danube-associated native ranges are important for wild European diversity, while domesticated strains have also been developed and disseminated through aquaculture.
EN
Cyprinus carpio is a freshwater or brackish, benthopelagic, migratory fish that tolerates a wide range of environmental conditions. It generally inhabits warm, deep, slow-flowing or still waters such as lowland rivers, backwaters, ponds, reservoirs, and large vegetated lakes, often with soft bottom sediments and turbid conditions (a pH range of 6.5-9.0, hardness of 10-15 dH, temperature range of 3-35 °C).
EN
The native distribution of common carp extends from Europe to Asia, starting from the Black Sea basins in Southeastern Europe and Western Asia, extending to the Caspian Sea east of the Caucausus and west of Central Asia, as well as to the Aral Sea basins Central Asia, spanning the bordering between Kazakhstan to the north and Uzbekistan to the south. It is is now one of the most widely distributed freshwater fishes worldwide due to the aquarium trade.
EN
EN
  • Ornamental
Additional Information
  • Natural and introduced hybridization between common carp and goldfish (Carassius auratus) has been reported in multiple studies, including Australian and North American records. 
  • The full sequenced genome of Cyprinus carpio is available.
EN

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