Carps and Minnows

Garps and minnows belong to the super-order Ostariophysi, sub-order Cyprinoidei and are grouped under the family Cyprinidae (carp-like fish with toothless and protractile mouths). I nstead of teeth in the jaw, these fish have curved pharyngeal bones in the throat which carry grinding teeth. A fantastic number of carps have barbels- usually a maximum of two pairs, even though there are a couple of species with much more.