Hawaiian Fishes 71 



was introduced onto Maui and Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands some time 

 prior to 1900 and today is found throughout the Islands. 



The carp is a hardy fish and grows rapidly under favorable conditions. 

 They have an immense fecundity and will lay as many as 700,000 eggs. 

 Although they will sometimes reach a weight of thirty or forty pounds, 

 they are not a desirable food fish. They are caught, sold, and eaten by 

 the Chinese and Japanese. 



The carp has many enemies which devour its eggs and young. These 

 include catfishes, sunfishes, snakes, turtles, kingfishes, and crayfishes. 



Gold Fish 



36-2 Carassius auratus (Linnaeus) 



The gold fish is really olivaceous or greenish in color in its wild state. 

 Its orange or variegated color is in reality retained only by selection. The 

 fins and form of the fish vary widely and include many monstrocities. The 

 body is stout and covered with large scales. It will reach a length of 

 12 inches. 



The gold fish was originally native to the streams of Japan and China. 

 It was taken to Europe about 1611 and was introduced into the United 

 States at a fairly early date. Jordan reports that it was being sent to 

 San Francisco to be sold alive in the markets in 1867. It appeared in 

 the Hawaiian Islands sometime prior to 1900. It is found today in the 

 middle and lower valleys in the streams, taro patches, ditches, and 

 reservoirs. 



THE LOACH FAMILY 



37 V amity Cobitidae 



Although the family of the loach fishes resembles catfishes, they are 

 really more closely related to the minnows. They have long barbels about 

 the mouth and are rather eel-like in shape. They are all small fishes of 

 less than one foot in length, but of hardy constitutions. 



The loaches are bottom living fishes often burying themselves in the 

 mud of the river bottoms. They feed on insects and worms and other 

 water creatures. 



The family seems to have been native to the ponds and streams of 

 Europe and Asia. 



Only one introduced species of this entire family is known from 

 Hawaiian waters. 



