Mirror carp
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Mirror carp, regionally known as Israeli carp,
Description
Common carp have an even, regular scale pattern, whereas mirrors have irregular, patchy scales that have little to no overlap, making many fish unique and identifiable by sight. As a consequence, most mirror carp in the UK over 40 lb (18 kg) are nicknamed.[citation needed]
Leather carp are another variety of common carp that resemble mirror carp, but are permitted a few scales either along the dorsal line or the wrist of the tail.[citation needed]
Genetics
The most striking difference between mirror and common carp is the presence of large mirror-like scales on the former. The mirror-scale phenotype is caused by a genetic
Contrary to popular belief, a leather carp is not always a mirror carp without scales. Similar to mirror carp, leather, or "nude" carp, are homozygous recessive at the "S" locus, but unlike mirror carp, true leather carp are heterozygous for a dominant mutant allele at the "N" locus (ssNn genotype).[note 2] Leather carp also have reduced numbers of red blood cells and slower growth rates than scaled carp.[1]: 16–17 Mirror carp from Hungarian and Asian stocks have been observed to have fewer pharyngeal teeth than scaled carp, while nude carp had fewer still.[4]
A population of mirror carp in
Fishing
A world record mirror carp that weighed 51.2 kilograms (113 lb) was caught in Hungary in November 2018.[6]
Anglers pursue larger leather carp due to their rarity. The biggest known was Heather the Leather at 52 lb (24 kg).[citation needed]
See also
Notes
- ^ This vernacular name most likely owes to the Israeli development of a mirror carp strain called "Dor-70"[1]: 75 that has been widely exported, although these fish, introduced to the United States in the 1950s, are distinguishable from other fish called mirror carp according to Fishes of Arkansas.[2]
- ^ Homozygosity for the dominant "N" allele is lethal.[1]: 13 Heterozygosity reduces viability.[1]: 15
References
- ^ ISBN 2-7380-0869-0.
- ISBN 978-1682261033.
- PMID 19733072.
- ^ PMID 24386179. e83327.
- ^ PMID 27559059. 20160945.
- ^ "Carp World Records Photo Gallery". Carpe-passion51. 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.