The mirror carp [Scientific name: Cyprinus carpio var. specularis] is a thermophilic, gregarious fish, dwelling mostly at the bottom of ponds. It is an omnivorous bottom feeder on larvae of insects, worms, molluscs, stalks and leaves of submerged plants and occasionally on zooplankton (Santhanam et al., 1999). The growth of the carp is very rapid, particularly in favourable environments. Its rapid growth, tasty flesh, good reproductive ability and modest requirements have led to the carp’s becoming the stable fish of warm water fisheries (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
According to Karim (1975), unlike the major native carps, mirror carp breeds in confined water of the pond and almost throughout the year, with the peak period from December to April. The eggs being adhesive are found sticky to the leaves of submerged aquatic plants. The fry are very hardy and can be transported under a wide range conditions.
Mirror carp is a native carp of Europe. In 1979, this carp was introduced to Bangladesh from Nepal for aquaculture purpose (Rahman, 2005).
References:
- Karim MA, 1975. An Introduction to Fish Culture in Bangladesh. BAU, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. 164pp.
- Rahman AKA, 2005. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh (2nd ed.). Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh. xviii+394 pp.
- Santhanam R, Sukumaran N and Natarajan P, 1999. A Manual of Freshwater Aquaculture. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India. 193pp.
- Talwar PK and Jhingran AG, 1991. Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries (Vol. 1 and 2). Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., India. 1158pp.
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