Bighead Carp: From 5 to 150 centimeters in 37 million years

Since 2008, an international research team led by Prof. Dr. Madelaine Böhme from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP) of the University of Tübingen has been studying prehistoric ecosystems and fossils in Vietnam.

In the course of this research the scientists discovered approximately 37 million-year-old sediments from Lake RhinChua, dating to the late Eocene. These freshwater sediments contained a wealth of fossilized animals and plants; hence, Lake RhinChua is also referred to as the “Asian Messel” by the researchers.

During their studies the team discovered teeth belonging to an entirely new genus and species of fish: The oldest known bighead carp, Planktophaga minuta, is a representative of the “East Asian group of Leuciscinae.”

With a length of ca. 5 centimeters it is the smallest fossil representative of this East Asian group, and a mere dwarf compared to its modern living relatives. Modern bighead carp are among the largest members of the carp family. They grow up to a length of 1.5 meters and can weigh in at 50 kilograms.

Planktophaga minuta and its relatives

Besides Planktophaga minuta (which translates to small plankton eater), an additional six species of carp have been discovered in Lake RhinChua. All of them have living relatives that are still found today in China’s Pearl and Yangtze River system. This is proof that the roots of the modern freshwater fish fauna in Southeast Asia reach far into the past.

Bighead carp in exile

Originally, the bighead carp was native to the larger rivers and stagnant water bodies of southern China. During the 1960s, bighead carp were introduced in Europe, including Germany, as a means to control aquatic plants. Only later did researchers discover that the bighead carp failed to “fulfill this task,” since they mainly feed on animal plankton. In Europe, introduced bighead carp can be found in ponds, lakes and occasionally in streams and rivers.

Publication

Böhme, M. et al.; Na Duong (northern Vietnam) – an exceptional window into Eocene ecosystems from Southeast Asia, ZittelianaA 53, 120 A 5 (2014).
Online: http://www.palmuc.de/bspg/images/pdf/10_boehme.pdf

Contact

Prof. Dr. Madeleine Böhme
Department of Geosciences
Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment
(currently away on expedition)
madelaine.boehme@senckenberg.de

Press Offices

Press Office
Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung
Ilona Bröhl
Phone 069- 7542 1444
pressestelle@senckenberg.de

University of Tübingen
University Communications
Antje Karbe
Phone 07071 – 29-76789
antje.karbe@uni-tuebingen.de

http://www.palmuc.de/bspg/images/pdf/10_boehme.pdf

Media Contact

Dr. Sören Dürr Senckenberg

All latest news from the category: Earth Sciences

Earth Sciences (also referred to as Geosciences), which deals with basic issues surrounding our planet, plays a vital role in the area of energy and raw materials supply.

Earth Sciences comprises subjects such as geology, geography, geological informatics, paleontology, mineralogy, petrography, crystallography, geophysics, geodesy, glaciology, cartography, photogrammetry, meteorology and seismology, early-warning systems, earthquake research and polar research.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Lighting up the future

New multidisciplinary research from the University of St Andrews could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting. Researchers at the Organic Semiconductor Centre in the School of Physics and…

Researchers crack sugarcane’s complex genetic code

Sweet success: Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants….

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets….

Partners & Sponsors