What species are Koi Carp?
♪ Scales 29 lateral, with markings unnatural; that's Amur-ay ♪ Joshua Pickett Adorned in sunset red daubs; peppered with dalmation-esque speckling; shiny, steel blue scales; streaked in vibrant orange; or completely piebald—these ornated fish come in a wild assortment of markings and colours that would've made the likes of even Vivienne Westwood envious. To the Japanese, they're called Nishikigoi, to species competition organisers, they're known as a nightmare, and to you and me, they're the kicky koi carp! One of the oldest depictions of Koi Carp, illustrated around the time the "modern" strains were first being selectively bred. Utagawa Hiroshige, 1840-42. Koi weren't always like this, however, and no doubt most people know they are selectively bred "ornamental" fish, but what species are they exactly? For a long time, many of us have assumed they are just domesticated Common Carp ( C...
