Psephurus gladius
| Chinese paddlefish | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acipenseriformes |
| Family: | Polyodontidae |
| Genus: |
Psephurus Günther, 1873 |
| Species: | P. gladius |
| Binomial name | |
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Psephurus gladius (E. von Martens, 1862) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Polyodon gladius |
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Polyodon gladius
Polyodon angustifolium
Chinese paddlefish (Psephurus gladius; simplified Chinese: 白鲟; traditional Chinese: 白鱘; pinyin: báixún), also known as Chinese swordfish, are among the largest freshwater fish, although the species is anadromous. It is one of two extant species in the paddlefish family (Polyodontidae), the other being the American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula). The Chinese paddlefish is critically endangered and has not been seen for years, leading to fears that it already may be extinct.
In Chinese this paddlefish is also called "elephant fish" (象魚; xiàngyú) because its snout vaguely resembles an elephant trunk. It is recorded sometimes in Classical Chinese as wěi-fish (鮪). More poetically, it is sometimes referred to as the "Giant Panda of the Rivers", not because of any physical resemblance to a giant panda, but because of its rarity and protected status. The origin of its binomial name comes from the Greek words pseph (pebble) and phoreus (bearer of), which when combined, also shares the meaning of the Greek word psepharos (gloomy/cloudy one).
Chinese paddlefish spend part of their life in the lower section of the Yangtze (Chang Jiang), including the brackish water of its estuary, but migrate up the river and its major tributaries to spawn, which occur from March and April. It generally stays in large rivers, but sometimes occur in large lakes.
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Wikipedia