Bighead carp
Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (Richardson, 1845)
The bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), also called Bighead, is a bony fish in the family Cyprinidae and subfamily Xenocypridinae. It belongs to the genus Hypophthalmichthys, order Cypriniformes and class Teleostei, with the scientific name authority (Richardson, 1845).
Quick facts about the bighead carp
In its global assessment, the IUCN Red List places the bighead carp in the Data Deficient (DD) category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Data Deficient (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the bighead carp
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Where does the bighead carp live?
Not recorded
What is the bighead carp?
The bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) is a species of cyprinid freshwater fish native to East Asia, and is one of several Asian carps introduced into North America. It is one of the most intensively exploited fishes in fish farming, with an annual worldwide production of over three million tonnes in 2013, principally from China. They are omnivores, consuming both algae and zooplankton.
Bighead carp, together with black carp, silver carp, and grass carp, make up the culturally important "four famous domestic fishes" used in polyculture in China for over a thousand years. It is widely farmed for food.
From the Wikipedia article “Bighead carp” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bighead_carp&oldid=1370132120), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the bighead carp endangered?
The bighead carp is listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List: it has too little data for its risk to be assessed.
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Data Deficient species.
How is the bighead carp classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderCypriniformes
- familyCyprinidae
- genusHypophthalmichthys
- SpeciesHypophthalmichthys nobilis (Richardson, 1845)
Synonyms Aristichthys nobilis, Hypophthalmichthys mantschuricu, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, Hypophthalmichthys simoni, Hypothalmichthys nobilis, Leuciscus nobilis
Other names and names in other languages (31)
- BigheadEnglish
- BigheadEnglish
- tolstolobec pestrýCzech
- marmorkarpeDanish
- MarmorkarpfenGerman
- carpa cabezonaSpanish
- marmoripaksuotsaFinnish
- carpe marbréeFrench
- Carpe à grosse têteFrench
- コクレンJapanese
- 대 두어Korean
- Kap kepala besarMalay
- grootkopkarperDutch
- толстолоб пестрыйRussian
- Толстолобик пестрыйRussian
- пестрый толстолобикRussian
- ballëgjeri laramanAlbanian
- marmorkarpSwedish
- ปลา ซ่งฮื้อThai
- Товстолоб строкатий південнокитайськийUkrainian
- Cá Mè hoaVietnamese
- 鱅Chinese
- 大頭鰱Chinese
- 胖頭鰱Chinese
- 花鰱Chinese
- 花鲢Chinese
- 鳙Chinese
- 鳙鱼Chinese
- 黑鰱Chinese
- 黑鲢Chinese
- 鱅(花鰱)Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the bighead carp
Other species in the same genus Hypophthalmichthys.
Silver carp
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
Largescale silver carp
Hypophthalmichthys harmandi
CompareBighead carp vs Silver carpBighead carp vs Largescale silver carp
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the bighead carp?
The bighead carp is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Cyprinidae in the order Cypriniformes.
What is the scientific name of the bighead carp?
The scientific name of the bighead carp is Hypophthalmichthys nobilis. It is placed in the genus Hypophthalmichthys.
Who named the bighead carp and when?
The scientific name authority for the bighead carp is written as (Richardson, 1845).
Is the bighead carp endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the bighead carp as Data Deficient (DD) in its global assessment.
What other names does the bighead carp have?
The bighead carp is also called Bighead in English.
What subfamily does the bighead carp belong to?
The bighead carp belongs to the subfamily Xenocypridinae within the family Cyprinidae.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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CreatureData. (2026). Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/bighead-carp
“Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/bighead-carp.
@misc{bighead_carp_2026,
title = {Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/bighead-carp},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}