Tinca tinca
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Similar Species
- Carp
History
- First introduced to Seattle and Spokane County, Washington prior to 1900
Characteristics
- Range from 8-25 inches long (20-64 cm)
- Resembles carp but has smaller scales
- Flat stocky body covered with numerous deeply embedded scales which are smaller than pupil of eye
- Covered in thick coating of mucus
- Single pair of barbels at mouth, instead of two like the common carp
- Fins are dark and rounded
- Olive colored with red eyes
Habitat
- Bottom feeder that lives in slow-moving waters rich in organic matter
Known Distribution in the Northeast
- Richelieu and St. Lawrence Rivers; VT - Lake Champlain; NY - Lake Champlain, Great Chazy River, Long Island; CT - Housatonic Drainage; MA - Connecticut River at Silvio Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.
Impacts
- For the most part, unknown. The diet consists mainly of aquatic insect larvae and molluscs (Scott and Crossman 1973). Moyle (1976a) considered it a potential competitor for food with sport fishes and native cyprinids. Known to stir up bottom sediments, possibly affecting water quality.
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