Nile carp

Nile carp
	drawing
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Cyprinidae
Genus:	Labeo
Species:	L. niloticus
Binomial name
	Labeo niloticus; (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
	Cyprinus niloticus Linnaeus, 1758; Cyprinus niloticus Forsskål, 1775; Labeo vulgaris Heckel, 1847;

The Nile carp (Labeo niloticus) is a fish species in the genus Labeo. It feeds primarily on plankton, and is distributed along the entire Nile valley. The Nile carp's diet is classified as mostly herbivorous, and besides plankton, it commonly consumes green algae, blue-green algae, and diatoms (El-Naggar et al., 2019).^[4] The species also has a large population of their species located in the Khashm El-Girba reservoir and Atbara River, and their breeding season occurs between the months of July to September (Abdalla et al., 2020).^[5] It is generally believed to be the fish that swallowed the phallus of the Egyptian god Osiris in the myth regarding his death at the hands of his brother Seth.

References

^ Azeroual, A.; Getahun, A.; Vreven, E. (2010). "Labeo niloticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010 e.T182692A7945029. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T182692A7945029.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^ FishBase
^ Bailly N (ed.). "Labeo niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758)". FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
^ El-Naggar, H. A., Khalaf Allah, H. M. M., Masood, M. F., Shaban, W. M., & Bashar, M. A. E. (2019). "Food and feeding habits of some Nile River Fish and their relationship to the availability of natural food resources". Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research. 45 (3): 273–280.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Abdalla, M. Y., Abdelhalim, A. I., & Adam, A. E. (2020). "Study of some biological aspects of the Nile carp, Labeo niloticus (pisces, Cyprinidae) from Khashm el-Girba Reservoir and Atbara River, Sudan: I abundance; sex ratio; gonado-somatic index and breeding season". Asian Journal of Research in Zoology: 21–28.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[iucn_status_19_November_2021-1] Azeroual, A.; Getahun, A.; Vreven, E. (2010). "Labeo niloticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010 e.T182692A7945029. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T182692A7945029.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.

[2] FishBase

[3] Bailly N (ed.). "Labeo niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758)". FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2025-09-26.

[4] El-Naggar, H. A., Khalaf Allah, H. M. M., Masood, M. F., Shaban, W. M., & Bashar, M. A. E. (2019). "Food and feeding habits of some Nile River Fish and their relationship to the availability of natural food resources". Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research. 45 (3): 273–280.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[5] Abdalla, M. Y., Abdelhalim, A. I., & Adam, A. E. (2020). "Study of some biological aspects of the Nile carp, Labeo niloticus (pisces, Cyprinidae) from Khashm el-Girba Reservoir and Atbara River, Sudan: I abundance; sex ratio; gonado-somatic index and breeding season". Asian Journal of Research in Zoology: 21–28.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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