12. Carassius auratus
(35cm)

C. auratus
collected by Kim, DaeMin
(left- Paju county, Gyeonggi Province; right- Gyeongju county, Gyeongsangbuk Province)
 © 2007 photo by Kim, DaeMin

Habitat: Usually mud and sand bottomed and richly vegetated rivers, lakes, lagoons, drains, ponds, and rice paddies with low to moderate current. Seems to prefer warm, deep, quiet, and turbid water. Feeds on plankton, invertebrates, and plant.

Range: Native to northeast Asia(Russian Far East, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China) and southeast Asia(Laos, Vietnam). Introduced to elsewhere in southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.

Remarks: C.auratus has traditionally been presented, especially in Korea, China, and Japan, in various arts, at the same time, this species was important food and pet fish. Mid-eastern China has long history of creating a variety of formation, the origin of this species' English name, Goldfish. China and Japan that took goldfish-culture from China in the 16th century are still leading in producing and creating goldfish formations. 

* Habitat of Carassius auratus (Gopoong Reservoir : Seosan county, Chungcheongnam Province)