The Balkhash marinka (Schizothorax argentatus) is a freshwater ray-finned fish in the carp family Cyprinidae, placed in the genus Schizothorax. It lives in the Lake Balkhash basin in Kazakhstan and in the Ili River in Xinjiang, western China. The species occurs as two forms. A riverine form stays in mountain and larger rivers, while a faster growing lake form migrates to spawn, and both forms breed over gravel beds in fast flowing water. Females mature at about 4 to 11 years and males at 3 to 8 years, and a spawning female may lay anywhere from 12,000 to 122,500 eggs, each about 2.3 millimetres across. The unshed roe is toxic if eaten. Feeding differs by habitat: fish in mountain rivers scrape algae and plants off the bottom, the lake form is mainly a plant feeder, and the form in larger rivers can be a predator of insects, small fish and even lizards. Adults usually weigh 1.5 to 5 kilograms, with the largest river fish reaching about 12 kilograms. The International Union for Conservation of Nature rates it Vulnerable because stocks have fallen sharply, with introduced trout and zander, habitat destruction and unstable water levels named as the main threats.
Facts
Classification
Population Trend System (Realm) ThreatsInvasive and Other Problematic Species, Genes and Diseases 1 Living or Extinct Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Balkhash marinka (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Lake, Biomes Source Balkhash marinka (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Balkhash marinka (Wikipedia)Distribution, where it lives (2)Quote, Distribution, where it lives (2)
in the Ili River in Xinjiang Province of western China
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Balkhash marinka (Wikipedia)Distribution, where it livesQuote, Distribution, where it lives
rivers of its catchment basin in Kazakhstan
Sources
1. Balkhash marinka (Wikipedia)
Conservation
its stocks have drastically declined and the species has been extirpated from many of the smaller lakes within its range
Conservation, threats
the introduction of exotic fish species such as trout and zander, habitat destruction and the unstable hydrological conditions
Biology, lake form feeding
The form living in lakes is also mainly a plant feeder
Biology, river form feeding
the form found in larger rivers is frequently a predator
Distribution
The Balkhash marinka is found in lake Balkhash and the rivers of its catchment basin in Kazakhstan and in the Ili River in Xinjiang Province of western China.
Distribution, where it lives
rivers of its catchment basin in Kazakhstan
Distribution, where it lives (2)
in the Ili River in Xinjiang Province of western China
In Biome: Lake, Distribution, lake
The Balkhash marinka is found in lake Balkhash and the rivers of its catchment basin in Kazakhstan and in the Ili River in Xinjiang Province of western China.
In Biome: River, Distribution, rivers
The Balkhash marinka is found in lake Balkhash and the rivers of its catchment basin in Kazakhstan and in the Ili River in Xinjiang Province of western China.
Child Taxon Of: Cyprinidae, Lead
is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Schizothorax of the family Cyprinidae
In Group: Carp And Minnows (Cypriniformes), Lead
is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Schizothorax of the family Cyprinidae
View the Source2. FishBase: Schizothorax argentatus (FishBase)
FishBaseIUCN Red List Status
Vulnerable (VU) (A3d); Date assessed: 03 March 2020
Environment
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Temperate
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