Members of the family Cyprinidae dominate most of the aquatic habitats of Europe, from eutrophic warm water ponds to mountain lakes. The family comprises generalists and specialists, herbivorous, planktovorous and even one piscivorous species; slow-moving grazers as well as fast-swimming inhabitants of the pelagial of lakes. Due to their diversity and abundance, cyprinids play key roles in every ecosystem in which they occur. Being of little economic importance, however, the family has for the most part failed to arouse keen scientific interest.