Living habits and morphological characteristics of the tall white turtle (Taiwanese rabbit fish)

The tall white turtle (Onychostoma alticopus) is also known as the tall shovel-jawed fish. It belongs to the order Cypriniformes, family Cyprinidae, subfamily Cyprinidae, and genus White Turtle. Commonly known as: tall pomfret, pardon, rabbit. English name: Sharp-jaw barbel.

Endangerment level: Vulnerable.

The body is tall and long, slightly flattened laterally, with the highest point in front of the dorsal fin, round abdomen, and thin caudal peduncle. The head is small and short, with a prominent bulge on the top of the head. The muzzle is short, broad and round. The snout extends downward to cover the upper lip. The mouth is in the lower position, with transverse cleft, and the lower jaw has a sharp horny edge. No need. Small eyes. The anterior segment of the lateral line is slightly curved, and the lateral line scales are 43-44. The dorsal fin has no hard spines, and its origin is near the snout and in front of the origin of the pelvic fin; the outer edge of the anal fin is truncated; the tip of the caudal fin is long. The dorsal side of the body is blue-grey, the head is slightly black, the belly is silvery white, the lower edge of the gill cover, even fins and anal fin are pink, the dorsal fin is gray and black, the fin membrane is red, the caudal fin is dark, and the middle is light red.

It generally lives in the middle reaches of mountain streams, and often likes to inhabit small rivers with fast currents and gravel bottoms and streams with large water flows. It feeds on algae and aquatic insects attached to stone surfaces.

This species is only distributed in rivers and mountain streams in southern and eastern Taiwan Province. It is endemic to Taiwan Province of my country.

This species used to be one of the important freshwater economic fish produced in Taiwan Province. Recently, the natural environment of rivers has been damaged by human factors; water conservancy construction projects have caused changes in hydrological conditions, reduced water flow, and lowered water levels, which have affected the normal reproduction and life of fish; the discharge of industrial and agricultural wastewater has caused the deterioration of water quality, and the original The habitat has been significantly changed; combined with overfishing and other comprehensive factors, the number of this species has declined sharply. It is now in a vulnerable state.

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