Contents Index of fishes General parts of a fish
	Kelvin K P Lim and Peter K L Ng

Family Cyprinidae About the family in general Genus Hypophthalmichthys Photo: Yang Swee Ling Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis Ikan Kap Kepala Besar, Primarily freshwater fish; 100 cm; oviparous; filter-feeder; gregarious; pelagic. Introduced, popular pond-culture fish. Rural ponds and reservoirs (often in floating net cages). The disproportionately large head of this fish, originally Chinese, is often used for making the delicious Chinese dish "clay-pot fish-head". In a number of the catchment reservoirs (e.g., Seletar and Pandan), it is kept in floating net cages to help control microscopic floating plankton, as well as to generate revenue from the sale of adults. The fishes filter plankton from the water (the main part of its diet) with gill rakers adapted to form a filtering apparatus. This well known species was previously classified in the genus Aristichthys. The oversized head of the Bighead (skull) Gill rakers for filtering plankton (arrowed)

Introduction Freshwater habitats Fishes in Singapore Conservation Amazing Fishy Facts About the guidebook

From A Guide to Common Freshwater Fishes of Singapore by Kelvin K P Lim and Peter K L Ng Published by the Singapore Science Centre and sponsored by BP @Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research and Singapore Science Centre