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Foreign Nonindigenous Carps and Minnows (Cyprinidae) in the United States-A Guide to their Identification, Distribution, and Biology By Pamela J. Schofield, James D. Williams, Leo G. Nico, Pam Fuller, and Matthew R. Thomas Introduction The family Cyprinidae (carps and minnows) is naturally distributed throughout most of the world except Australia and South America (plate 1). It is the largest family of freshwater fishes with about 2,010 species in 210 genera. Most cyprinids (about 155 genera and 1,060 species) are found in Eurasia (Nelson, 1994). About 300 species in 50 genera are native to North America (Canada, Mexico, United States; Nelson and others, 2004). The high diversity and expansive distribution of cyprinids have contributed to a long history of human use (of both cultured and wild-caught stocks) as food, bait, sport, forage, and ornamentals. A few species are used to control nuisance plants or other problem organisms (for example, disease-carrying snails). Cyprinids exhibit considerable variation in morph- ology, diet, and habitat use. The largest member of the family is the Giant Barb (Catlocarpio siamensis) of southeastern Asia, which may reach almost 3 m total length (TL) (Smith, 1945). In contrast, the minia- ture translucent species Danionella translucida from Myanmar (formerly Burma) attains only 12 mm standard length (SL), and is the smallest freshwater fish known (Roberts, 1986; Britz, 2003). Trophic diversity is also great, and the family includes planktivores (Bighead Carp, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, and Silver Carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), herbivores (Grass Carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella), piscivores (Colorado Pikeminnow, Ptychocheilus lucius), and omnivores (Common Carp, Cyprinus carpio). Many species have specialized diets, which are reflected in particular morphological adaptations (for example, the Black Carp, Mylopharyngodon piceus, has pharyngeal teeth modified for crushing mollusks). Cyprinids live in a wide variety of habitats from stagnant ponds and small streams to large lakes and swift-flowing rivers. This guide was designed to benefit biologists and others interested in non indigenous fishes by providing information for the identification of foreign cyprinids introduced into the U.S. In addition to providing iden- tification keys and descriptions of distinguishing char- acteristics, we give details concerning distribution and environmental biology. This guide is a valuable resource for several reasons: (1) The number and variety of foreign fishes intro- duced into the U.S. has increased dramatically in the past few decades; (2) Several introduced cyprinids have caused, or have the potential to cause, environmental or economic harm; and (3) Some foreign cyprinids superficially resemble native cyprinids or other (native or introduced) fishes. Consequently, introduced cyprinids may be misidentified or may not even be recognized as non-natives. Correct identification is critical in documenting the occurrence and dispersal of foreign species and in rapidly responding to the appearance of new foreign species. As learned during recent decades, a swift response is critical to eliminate and/or control harmful non-native fishes before they become widespread and abundant.