The living habits and nutritional value of hard-headed Diaozi

Hemiculter bleekeri is also known as Hemiculter bleekeri. It belongs to the order Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae, and subfamily Cyprinidae.

The body is elongated and flattened on the sides, the outline of the back and abdomen are slightly arc-shaped, and there is an obvious ventral rib from the base of the pectoral fin to the anus. The head is pointed, the snout is short, the eyes are large, the eye diameter is slightly larger than the snout length, the mouth is at the end, and the mouth cleft slopes downward. The lateral line is not too strongly curved above the base of the pectoral fin, and the dorsal fin has smooth hard spines. The back of the body is bluish gray, and the sides and abdomen are silvery white.

It can survive and reproduce in various types of water bodies such as rivers, lakes, and natural ponds, and lives on the surface of the water from spring to autumn. They like to gather in groups and move quickly. They often feed in shallow water areas and spend the winter lurking in deep water layers. The smallest individual that reaches sexual maturity is 9.4 cm in length for females and 8.4 cm for males. The reproductive season is around May-June, and the spawning time is generally in the early morning and dusk. During spawning, a large number of broodstock gather on the surface of the flowing water and jump and swim against the water to perform spawning activities. The food habit is mixed, mainly aquatic insect larvae, followed by fragments of higher plants, zooplankton and phytoplankton.

It is extremely widely distributed and can be found in various types of water bodies in various places except the western plateau area.

The Hard-headed Diaozi is a common small economic fish. They are small, generally less than 13 centimeters, and the largest individual can reach 18.5 centimeters in length; but they are widely distributed and have abundant natural yields. If canned and preserved, their taste can be comparable to sardines.

animal tags：