Carassius vulgaris

9.9

A small wild fish like a goldfish that lives in freshwater ponds and lakes

noun

Specialized

: Carassius vulgaris

The pond was stocked with several Carassius vulgaris to create a natural ecosystem.

Examples

The Carassius vulgaris is often found in garden ponds.
Some anglers mistakenly refer to Carassius vulgaris as wild goldfish due to their similar appearance.
Researchers studied the differences in fin shape between Carassius vulgaris and domesticated goldfish.
Have you seen a Carassius vulgaris in the lake?
Researchers studied the differences in fin shape between Carassius vulgaris and domesticated goldfish.
Some anglers mistakenly refer to Carassius vulgaris as wild goldfish due to their similar appearance.
The pond was stocked with several Carassius vulgaris to create a natural ecosystem.

Surface Forms

Carassius vulgaris singular

Carassius vulgaris plural

Morphology

Carassius + vulgaris

This is a Latin binomial: 'Carassius' is a genus name (not a common English word) and 'vulgaris' is a Latin epithet meaning 'common' or 'widespread'. Even if a learner knows the epithet, they would not be able to infer that this is a particular species of carp resembling a goldfish without taxonomic knowledge, so the meaning is not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

The name Carassius vulgaris comes from old European names for small carp: Carassius is a word for a carp-like fish and vulgaris is Latin for 'common'. So the name means the 'common' carp or 'wild goldfish', which helps you remember this ordinary pond and lake fish.