Bowfin

Amia ocellicauda

Male tail eyespots appear sharply defined

Tropical
Northern Hemisphere
Regional distribution
Freshwater fish
Atlantic Ocean
North America
Tropical fish

Amia ocellicauda, the eyespot bowfin or emerald bowfin, is a species of bowfin native to North America. Originally described by John Richardson from Lake Huron in 1836, it was synonymized with Amia calva until genetic work in 2022 revealed them to be separate species. It differs from Amia calva by having fewer dentary teeth (only 15 compared to 16 or 17 of A. calva) and its interopercle membrane bone being smaller.

Class: Gars and Bowfins
Order: Bowfins
Family: Amiidae
Genus: Amia
Water: Freshwater
Distribution: North America West: from the Lake Pontchartrain system west in Gulf of Mexico draining rivers to the Colorado River system in Texas, USA, throughout the Mississippi River Basin, the Great Lakes Basin, the St Lawrence River system, including Lake Champlain, and the Atlantic draining Connecticut River system (Ref. 132277 ).

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