Silver carp
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes, 1844)
The silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) is a bony fish in the family Cyprinidae, order Cypriniformes. It belongs to the subfamily Xenocypridinae and the genus Hypophthalmichthys, within the class Teleostei.
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Quick facts about the silver carp
The species name was authored by (Valenciennes, 1844), and other English names include Flyer, Jumper, Silver fin, Flying carp and Chinese schemer. On the IUCN Red List, the silver carp is assessed globally as Near Threatened (NT), which is not an IUCN threatened category.
- Weight
- up to 50 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- 60 cm – 1.4 msrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the silver carp?
Photos of the silver carp
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the silver carp live?
Not recorded
What is the silver carp?
The silver carp or silverfin (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) is a species of freshwater cyprinid fish, a variety of Asian carp native to China and eastern Siberia, from the Amur River drainage in the north to the Xi Jiang River drainage in the south. Although a threatened species in its natural habitat, it has long been cultivated in China as one of the "four famous domestic fish" (四大家鱼) together with bighead carp, black carp, and grass carp. By weight, more silver carp are produced worldwide in aquaculture than any other species of fish except for the grass carp. Silver carp are usually farmed in polyculture with other Asian carp, or sometimes with catla or other fish species.
The species has also been introduced, or spread by connected waterways, to at least 88 countries around the world. The reason for importation was generally for use in aquaculture, but enhancement of wild fisheries and water quality control have also been intended on occasion. In some of these places, the species is considered invasive.
The silver carp reaches a typical length of 60–100 cm (24–39 in) with a maximum length of 140 cm (55 in) and weight of 50 kg (110 lb).
From the Wikipedia article “Silver carp” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silver_carp&oldid=1370131930), 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 silver carp endangered?
The silver carp is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.
How is the silver carp classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderCypriniformes
- familyCyprinidae
- genusHypophthalmichthys
- SpeciesHypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes, 1844)
Synonyms Abramocephalus microlepis, Aristichthys molitrix, Cephalus mantschuricus, Hypophthalmichthys basilewskii, Hypophthalmichthys dabryi, Hypophthalmichthys dabryi, Hypophthalmichthys dybowskii, Hypophthalmichthys mantschuricus, Hypophthalmichthys microlepis, Hypopthalmichthys molitrix, Hypothalmichthys molitrix, Hypothamicthys molitrix, Leuciscus hypophthalmus, Leuciscus molitrix, Onychodon mantschuricus, Pseudolaubuca clupeoides
Other names and names in other languages (89)
- Asian leaping carpEnglish
- Chinese schemerEnglish
- FlyerEnglish
- Flying carpEnglish
- JumperEnglish
- Silver finEnglish
- SilwerkarpAfrikaans
- شبوط فضيArabic
- مبروكة الزبديةArabic
- Таўсталобік белыBelarusian
- Бял толстолобBulgarian
- সিলভার কার্পBangla
- 白鰱Chinese
- 竹叶鲢Chinese
- 竹葉鰱Chinese
- tolstolobik bílýCzech
- Tolstolobik obecnýCzech
- sølvkarpeDanish
- TiefaugeGerman
- SilberkarpfenGerman
- ΑσημοκυπρίνοςGreek
- carpa plateadaSpanish
- Harilik pakslaupEstonian
- FytofagPersian
- Kopur NoqreaiPersian
- PhytophaguePersian
- hopeapaksuotsaFinnish
- Amour argentéFrench
- Carpe argentéeFrench
- Carpe asiatiqueFrench
- Carpe chinoiseFrench
- KasafHebrew
- Fehér busaHungarian
- Carpa argentataItalian
- ハクレンJapanese
- HakurenJapanese
- Belli-gendeKannada
- 백련어Korean
- سلڤەرKurdish
- Акмурун макоо балыгыKyrgyz
- Baltasis plačiakaktisLithuanian
- Baltais platpierisLatvian
- Kap perakMalay
- Tongsan putihMalay
- zilverkarperDutch
- Tołpyga białaPolish
- Carpa-prateadaPortuguese
- SângerRomanian
- Crap argintiuRomanian
- Crap-chinezesc-argintiuRomanian
- лобанRussian
- лобасRussian
- толпыгаRussian
- толстолобRussian
- Белый толстолобикRussian
- Обыкновенный толстолобикRussian
- Толстолобик белыйRussian
- Belyi tolstolobRussian
- Belyi tolstolobikRussian
- Tolstolob bielySlovak
- tolstolobik bielySlovak
- srebrni tolstolobikSlovenian
- Ballgjeri i bardheAlbanian
- ballëgjeri i bardhëAlbanian
- Бели толстолобикSerbian
- silverkarpSwedish
- ปลาลิ่นThai
- ปลาพิ่นฮื้อThai
- ปลาเล่งฮื้อThai
- ปลาแป๊ะหลงThai
- Pla leng heaThai
- Pla leng heuThai
- Pla linThai
- Pla pae longThai
- Pla pea longThai
- Pla pin heaThai
- Pla pin heuThai
- Товстолоб білийUkrainian
- Товстолобик білийUkrainian
- Tovstolob zvychajnyiUkrainian
- Bin ueCantonese
- Cho ueCantonese
- Lin ueCantonese
- 鰱Chinese
- 白葉仔Chinese
- 鰱仔Chinese
- 鰱魚Chinese
- 鲢Chinese
- 鲢鱼Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the silver carp
Other species in the same genus Hypophthalmichthys.
Bighead carp
Hypophthalmichthys nobilis
Largescale silver carp
Hypophthalmichthys harmandi
CompareSilver carp vs Bighead carpSilver 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 silver carp?
The silver carp is a bony fish in the family Cyprinidae and the order Cypriniformes.
What is the scientific name of the silver carp?
The scientific name of the silver carp is Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, in the genus Hypophthalmichthys.
Who named the silver carp and when?
The scientific name authority is written as (Valenciennes, 1844).
Is the silver carp endangered?
No. The silver carp is listed as Near Threatened (NT) in a global IUCN assessment, which is not an IUCN threatened category.
What other names does the silver carp have?
Other English names for the silver carp are Flyer, Jumper, Silver fin, Flying carp and Chinese schemer.
Which subfamily does the silver carp belong to?
The silver carp belongs to the subfamily Xenocypridinae of 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).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/silver-carp
“Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/silver-carp.
@misc{silver_carp_2026,
title = {Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/silver-carp},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}