Cypriniformes is an order of ray-finned fish, which includes many families and genera of cyprinid (carps and their kin) fish, such as barbs, loaches, botias, and minnows (among others). Cypriniformes is an "order-within-an-order", placed under the superorder Ostariophysi—which is also made up of cyprinid, ostariophysin fishes. The order contains 11–12 families (with some authorities having listed as many as 23), over 400 genera, and more than 4,250 named species; new species are regularly described, and new genera are recognized frequently. Cyprinids are most diverse in South and Southeast Asia and are entirely absent from Australia and South America. At 112 years old, the longest-lived cypriniform fish documented is the bigmouth buffalo.

Their closest living relatives are the Characiformes (characins, tetras and their kin), the Gymnotiformes (electric eel and American knifefishes), and the Siluriformes (catfishes).

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