Cyprinidae is the
family of freshwater fishes, collectively called
cyprinids, that includes the
carps, the true
minnows, and their relatives (for example, the
barbs and
barbels). Also commonly called the "
carp family," or "
minnow family," Cyprinidae is the largest known fish family and the largest
vertebrate animals family in general, with about 3,000 living and extinct
species in about 370
genera. The family belongs to the
ostariophysian order
Cypriniformes, of whose genera and species the cyprinids make more than two-thirds. The family name is derived from the
Ancient Greek kyprînos (κυπρῖνος, "carp").