I have recently been fishing and caught a strange looking fish. It was very unusual and an old man passing the lodge told me it was a bitterling.Was he winding me up as i have never heard of one before and does anybody have any info/pics.
thanks!
2007-04-03 08:45:37 · 12 answers · asked by vanessa 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
The bitterling is a small fish of the carp family. Mussels form an essential part of its reproductive system, with bitterling eggs being laid inside them.
Long thought to be symbiotic with the mussels (whose larval phase attaches to fish gills during development), recent research has indicated they are in fact parasitic, with co-evolution being seen in Chinese bitterling and mussel species.
Bitterlings usually reside in areas with dense plant growth. They are a hardy fish, and can survive in water that is not very well oxygenated. They grow to be 3-4 in. long at most. The bitterling's diet consists of plant material and small larvae of insects.
2007-04-03 08:49:30 · answer #1 · answered by C.J. 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Strait from Wikipedia!
The bitterling is a small fish of the carp family. Mussels form an essential part of its reproductive system, with bitterling eggs being laid inside them.
Long thought to be symbiotic with the mussels (whose larval phase attaches to fish gills during development), recent research has indicated they are in fact parasitic, with co-evolution being seen in Chinese bitterling and mussel species.
Bitterlings usually reside in areas with dense plant growth. They are a hardy fish, and can survive in water that is not very well oxygenated. They grow to be 3-4 in. long at most. The bitterling's diet consists of plant material and small larvae of insects.
2007-04-03 20:27:54 · answer #2 · answered by FishFreak95 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree - a photo or better description would help to identify your fish. If it's not what you're seeing in the links in the answers above, could you describe it a little better? Also, what is the geographic location (although almost anything could be introduced, it may help narrow down the possibilities). If you still have the fish, could you add a photo to your question here? There are a number of photo-sharing websites you can use to do this. I'll check back in a bit.
2007-04-03 16:04:31 · answer #3 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
A bitterling is a small fish from the carp family. There's a lot of information on wikipedia.
2007-04-03 17:12:00 · answer #4 · answered by TotalShopaholic 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think bitterling are imported and not meant to be in our waterways for some reason. im pretty certain if you are sold any or are caught releasing them you can be heavily find, pet shops arent allowed to sell them to the public either unless they want to be prosecuted. i really cant remember why but i only know this because i have lengthy conversations with my local garden centre who have an aquarium section.
2007-04-03 19:40:10 · answer #5 · answered by leatwinkle2003 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
im sure alot of fish look strange.. it'd probably help if you had a picture of this fish you caught.
anyway, heres info on bitterlings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitterling
2007-04-03 15:48:16 · answer #6 · answered by tonberry79 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Im not sure where you live but here is a web site that might help you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitterling
2007-04-03 16:11:31 · answer #7 · answered by sportyconnie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For someone who uses yahoo q&a, and therefore presumably spends a reasonable amount of time on the web, you are not utilising google very well are you?
2007-04-04 11:30:29 · answer #8 · answered by Pricey 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Details and picture here.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitterling
2007-04-03 15:49:39 · answer #9 · answered by Shaggy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=bitterling&gbv=2
2007-04-03 15:48:33 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋