Grass carp

The grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is a very big herbivorous and freshwater fish species of the family Cyprinidae. It is from east Asia native to eastern Asia. It was originally found from northern Vietnam to the Amur River on the Siberia-China border. This Asian carp is the only species of the genus Ctenopharyngodon.

Grass carp
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Cyprinidae
Subfamily:	Squaliobarbinae
Genus:	Ctenopharyngodon Steindachner, 1866
Species:	C. idella
Binomial name
Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1844)
Synonyms
Leuciscus idella Valenciennes, 1844 Ctenopharingodon idellus (Valenciennes, 1844) Ctenopharyngodon idellus (Valenciennes, 1844) Leuciscus tschiliensis Basilewsky, 1855 Ctenopharyngodon laticeps Steindachner, 1866 Sarcocheilichthys teretiusculus Kner, 1867 Pristiodon siemionovii Dybowski, 1877

Adult grass carp

Juvenile grass carp

It is used in China for food. It was introduced in Europe and the United States to help weed control underwater. This species of fish has the biggest production in aquaculture in the world. Over five million tonnes per year are sold.^[1]