Minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus)

The common minnow (scientific name: Phoxinus phoxinus), commonly known as "liugenzai," is a small freshwater fish, typically around 5 cm long, with a cylindrical body and a slender caudal peduncle. It has no scales on its chest and abdomen. Its back is brownish with dense black spots, and its sides and belly are silvery-white with longitudinal black markings. It inhabits cold, clear streams or river tributaries, preferring to live in schools and feeding on plants and insects. It is distributed across Europe and in river systems such as China's Heilongjiang (Amur River), Irtysh, and Tumen Rivers. Due to ecological changes leading to a decrease in wild populations, there have been instances of large-scale aquaculture.