Small-scale bitterling
Amazing fact
The small-scale bitterling is said to have especially fine scales among bitterlings.
井の頭自然文化園
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The small-scale bitterling is said to have especially fine scales among bitterlings.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Small-scale bitterling
- Scientific name
- Acheilognathus typus
- Japanese name
- ゼニタナゴ
- Group
- Freshwater animals
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Cyprinidae
- Genus
- Acheilognathus
A bitterling found in Japan and nowhere else. It lives in lakes, marshes, channels and other places where the water flows slowly.
The female stretches out a thin tube called an ovipositor to lay her eggs inside a bivalve shellfish, where the eggs are less likely to be eaten by fish.
How the Small-scale bitterling lives
It feeds on algae and similar food attached to the bottom.
井の頭自然文化園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: 4–12 cm
- Diet
- Algae on the bottom and other food
- Range
- Japan
- Conservation status in Japan
- Critically Endangered (CR)Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Red List 2020
Where the Small-scale bitterling has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 井の頭自然文化園 — ゼニタナゴChecked: 2026-11-03
- Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Red List 2020Checked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
The conservation status in Japan is the category in the Red Lists of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, which assess the risk of extinction for wild animals in Japan.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Small-scale bitterling, look for this
- During the breeding season, you may see a female searching for and inspecting shellfish in which to lay eggs.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
井の頭自然文化園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Small-scale bitterling
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Cyprinidae
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