Summary ²

Family: Cyprinidae

Goldfish(Carassius auratus) are originally from Asia. They have been introduced into the Great Lakes thousands of times since the 1800s. Most do not survive being released into the wild. But some do, and these can establish breeding populations. Goldfish are usually found near dense aquatic vegetation in areas with no to little current. They are also found near cities and other urban areas.

How to recognize: Large obvious scales. Long fin along the back that is supported by soft rays, except for a strong spine at the front with serrations on the rear edge. Fin near the anus also supported by soft rays except at the front edge where there is a spine with serrations on the rear edge. Mouth is upturned and without barbels (whiskers). Wild form is brownish olive. Familiar ornamental form is gold, white, black, red, etc., or any combination of these colors. Up to 1 foot /0.3 meters long.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) alavire, all rights reserved
2. (c) alavire, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Atlas of Living Australia
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• CalPhotos
• Fish Database of Taiwan
• FishBase
• FishSource
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• NBN Atlas
• VertNet
• World Register of Marine Species
• 日本のレッドデータ検索システム

iNat Map