Japanese Silver Crucian Carp (Freshwater Fishes Book 2, second release by Yujin)

Note – a lot more information has become available since I first wrote this one!

This figure is the Japanese silver crucian carp (or Langsdorf’s Goldfish, or Ginbuna in Japan), Carassius langsdorfii (according to Fishbase; earlier sources refer to it as the subspecies Carassius auratus langsdorfii ), stamped number 16 and listed as figure 1 from the Book 2 series, second. This is the first of several cyprinids in the series, and probably the least familiar of the ones made. Overall, the species is nearly indistinguishable physically from the familiar goldfish C. auratus, and was determine to be a ‘cryptic’ species native to Japan, but introduced individuals and populations have been found in North America and Europe. They have been kept as pets for some time, and it is probable that some descendants are in the pet trade and people might not realize!

From what I have been able to determine (using translated Japanese sources) this species is gynogenetic, meaning that the entirely female population only requires male input to activate the eggs. UPDATE: there are two distinct lines of the Ginbuna; diploid individuals reproduce sexually, while triploid (and the rarer tetraploid) individuals are the gynogenetic asexual reproducers that only require mating, but do not incorporate genetic material from the male. This genetic cloning has made them useful for lab studies.

Overall the ginbuna appears to be a more or less normal ‘goldfish’. The Yujin model (and other sources) states that the length is around 30cm, although 15-20cm is more normal. These fish prefer to live in areas where streams meet still waters, and marshes, near the bottom surface (demersal zone). Muddy or fiune-grained substrates are their preference. They are opportunistic feeders, subsisting mainly on algae and zooplankton but taking whatever they can find.

The model is about 5 cm long, making the figure roughly 1:6 scale (or as large as 1:3 using the common size of 15cm). The one that I have is painted as a captive fish, in a yellowish-brown colour fading to silver on the belly. This appears to be a natural pattern, as it would offer some camouflage to avoid getting eaten pretty quickly in a stream! It is a bright little figure, very goldfish-like, and looks like ones you would see in many shops; it is realistic to pass for a very small live fish! It is painted as a wild specimen, so the body more carp-like with big shiny scales. It is an overall light bronze or brown, fading more to silver along the ventrum. The fins are all translucent yellow, with thick rays sculpted in. The base is the grey wood stems (although apparently a muddier base would be more appropriate. I am not aware of any other Japanese silver crucian carp figure; that said, it is possible that there is a different one in the Yujin Goldfish set (a separate set) but I don’t have any from that series, so I don’t know.

Starting on the 14th of January, 2024, I migrated my first Yujin Freshwater Fish Pictorial walkaround post from the Animal Toy Forum to this blog, with the intention of moving all species’/figures’ walkarounds here. The initial post contained a lengthy explanation of the series (both the original and updated) that I don’t think should be repeated each time! For those details, the post can be seen at the first post. Then we can just get to the fish. Most of the details and writing will come from the original post, although I may supplement/add where appropriate.