The fine-scaled xenocypris is a small food fish with relatively high economic value.

The fine-scaled xenocypris is commonly known as shaguzi, huangpian, huangpi, huangweidiaozi, and so on. It is the largest individual in the subfamily Xenocyprinae, and is a small to medium-sized food fish widely distributed in the rivers and lakes of China. It has a high proportion of flesh, and the meat is delicious and tender. According to measurements, the viscera account for only 8%-12% of body weight, the protein content accounts for 22%, and the fat content accounts for about 2%. It is easy and simple to raise, with a wide range of food sources, mainly feeding on natural food organisms. From the perspective of human consumption, it is a green, high-quality fish species with relatively high economic value.

In recent years, although famous, special, and high-quality fish species have attracted much attention, the fine-scaled xenocypris has long been neglected. On the one hand, the waters where this fish occurs have not been well protected for reproduction, and on the other hand, it has not been stocked in many waters. At present, most inland waters in China show a trend toward eutrophication. The fine-scaled xenocypris mainly feeds on sapropel, detritus, and algae. Without increasing feed, stocking or polyculturing the fine-scaled xenocypris in water bodies can not only increase fish yield per unit area, but also slow the process of water body eutrophication. Therefore, vigorously promoting the culture technology of the fine-scaled xenocypris has far-reaching significance for fully utilizing natural resources, improving the water environment, and ecologically preventing and controlling water body eutrophication.

The body of the fine-scaled xenocypris is laterally compressed, relatively high at the origin of the dorsal fin, with an incomplete ventral keel, a small head, a blunt snout, a subterminal mouth with a transverse cleft, and a pale yellow anal fin. It mainly inhabits the middle and lower layers of the water. Adults feed by scraping algae and organic detritus from the bottom with their well-developed keratinized lower jaw edge, while juveniles mostly feed on plankton. Growth is fastest at 1-2 years of age. The average body length of 1-year-old fish is 160 mm, and the average body length of 2-year-old fish is 248 mm.

The fine-scaled xenocypris usually reaches sexual maturity at 2 winters of age, and the body weight of broodfish at first sexual maturity is generally between 400-1000 g. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, when the water temperature reaches above 18°C in late April or early May, broodfish begin to spawn adhesive eggs at will, lasting about 2 months, with an average fecundity of about 200,000 eggs per kilogram of body weight.