bitterling

Open encyclopedia reference

The Amur bitterling (Rhodeus sericeus) is a small fish of the carp family. It is sometimes just called "bitterling", which dates back to the time when the European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus) was still considered conspecific with R. sericeus, and "bitterling" properly refers to any species in the entire genus Rhodeus. The Amur bitterling is found in Siberia, while the European bitterling is found from European Russia westwards.

Mussels form an essential part of their 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 hardy fish and can survive in water that is not very well oxygenated. They grow to be 3–4 in (76–102 mm) long at most. The bitterling's diet consists of plant material and small larvae of insects.

Wikipedia contributors, Amur bitterling; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:39:17.819551+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Rhodeus sericeus (Pallas, 1776)

Name authority

(Pallas, 1776)

Common name

bitterling

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Cypriniformes

Family

Cyprinidae

Genus

Rhodeus

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderCypriniformes
11. familyCyprinidae Rafinesque, 1815
12. subfamilyAcheilognathinae Bleeker, 1863
13. genusRhodeus Agassiz, 1832
14. speciesRhodeus sericeus (Pallas, 1776)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Rhodeus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 2,547 records assigned to Cyprinidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Pallas, P. S. (1776). Reise durch verschiedene Provinzen des Russischen Reichs. Vol. 3. Kayserliche Academie Der Wissenschaften, St. Petersburg, 1–454. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:796MF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.