Cyprinid Fishes

The Cyprinidae is one of the two largest families of vertebrates in the world. This book draws together the experience of more than 30 international experts to provide the first comprehensive account of the biology of this family. The book is divided broadly into three sections. First, the origins and present day geographical distributions of these fishes are discussed in the light of recent research. This is followed by detailed accounts of cyprinid biology, in terms of feeding, physiology, reproduction and behaviour. The final chapters of the book cover the cyprinids' considerable applied importance with respect to environmental management, fisheries and aquaculture. As this family is extremely important as forage fish for other animals, as food fish for humans and are commonly used as models in experimental work, the book will be of great interest to all those with an interest in freshwater fish, fish ecology, fisheries biology and aquaculture systems.