Habits and distribution of cuttlefish (Dongpo fish)

Garra pingi belongs to the order Cypriniformes, family Cyprinidae, subfamily Garra pingi, and genus Garra pingi. Commonly known as: cuttlefish, dongpo fish, black stick, black fish, catfish ("Compendium of Materia Medica"). English name: Beardless sucking bard.

The body is long and slightly cylindrical, the ventral surface is flat before the pelvic fins, and the tail is flattened laterally. The head is broad, flat, and slightly square. The snout is blunt, with horny protrusions at the front end; the mouth is large, low, crescent-shaped, and without beard. The rostrum of the upper lip extends downward ventrally, and its edge is split into a comb-like shape. The lower lip is wide and looks like an oval sucker. There is a fleshy pad in the center with a free peripheral edge and small papillary protrusions. There is a deep groove between the front edge and the fleshy pad. . The eyes are small and set high. The scales are medium large, and the scales on the front and ventral surface of the pelvic fin are buried under the skin; the dorsal fin has no spines and has a concave edge. The body is brown, the back is dark, the abdomen is gray-white, the fins are gray-black, and there is a black spot at the base of the scales on the side of the body, which connects several dark brown stripes on the side of the body. Male and female fish usually have pearl stars, which become more obvious during the reproductive period. According to folklore, Su Dongpo was practicing calligraphy in his hometown, washed his pen and inkstone in the river, and dyed the fish black, so it was called "Dongpo Cuttlefish".

The cuttlefish likes to live in environments with fast currents and rocky bottoms. They often use their fleshy suckers to attach themselves to underwater rocks. They are benthic fish. It feeds on algae, plant debris, organic matter deposited on rock surfaces, and sometimes a small amount of aquatic insect larvae. Matures later, generally reaching sexual maturity at 3-4 winter years. The reproductive period is around May-June, when eggs are laid in running water.

Cuttlefish are distributed in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Lancang River and Yuanjiang River systems.

Generally, fish can grow to about 20 centimeters in the second winter and 24-27 centimeters in the third winter. The largest individual can be about 60 centimeters long, making it the largest fish in the same group. The meat is thick, fatty and extremely delicious. It is a precious economic fish, but its output is not large.

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