Cobitidae
Java Loach
Pangio oblonga
FISH SPECIES
Freshwater Fish
Freshwater fish spend all or part of their lives in rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands. The label describes an environment, not one branch of the fish family tree, so freshwater species include many unrelated shapes and lineages.
FISH ATLAS / FIELD GUIDEFreshwater FishIN THIS CHAPTER01 / Characteristics02 / Lifestyle03 / Species04 / Field notes
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01 / NATURAL HISTORY
Characteristics
Freshwater habitats contain far less salt than seawater and can change quickly with seasons, floods and drought. Fish living there use many different strategies, from streamlined bodies for current to barbels that help find food near the bottom.
- 01River fish
- 02Lake fish
- 03Stream fish
02 / LIFESTYLE
Lifestyle
Life in freshwater follows the movement of water and food. Some fish hold position in a current and intercept drifting prey; others search plants or sediment for a meal. Changes in flow and water level can open feeding grounds or trigger movements toward spawning areas. These behaviors reflect how fish balance hydrodynamic energy expenditure against food intake.
OBSERVATION INDEX
- Holding position in a current
- Feeding among plants or sediment
- Movement with changing water levels
03 / SPECIES
Representative species
Discover representative species illustrating the ecological diversity, morphologies and adaptations of this group.
Java Loach
Cyprinidae
Javaen barb
Systomus orphoides
Cyprinidae
Javaen barb
Systomus rubripinnis
Channidae
Javanese snakehead
Channa lucius
Cyprinidae
Jaya
Cabdio jaya
Pimelodidae
Jaú Catfish
Zungaro jahu
Nothobranchiidae
Jeanpol's killi
Nimbapanchax jeanpoli
Alestidae
Jellybean Tetra
Ladigesia roloffi
Catostomidae
Jenny creek sucker
Catostomus rimiculus
Gobionidae
Jeon's Gudgeon
Microphysogobio jeoni
Cyprinidae
Jerdon's baril
Opsarius canarensis
Cyprinidae
Jerdon's carp
Hypselobarbus jerdoni
Prochilodontidae
Jetudo
Ichthyoelephas longirostris
Cichlidae
Jewel cichlid
Rubricatochromis guttatus
Nothobranchiidae
Jewel killi
Aphyosemion exiguum
Acestrorhamphidae
Jewel tetra
Megalamphodus eques
Goodeidae
Jeweled Splitfin
Xenotoca variata
Gobionidae
Jialing Gudgeon
Gnathopogon herzensteini
Nemacheilidae
Jianchuan stone loach
Triplophysa jianchuanensis
Astroblepidae
Jimenez climbing catfish
Astroblepus heterodon
Cichlidae
Jipe tilapia
Oreochromis jipe
Percidae
johnny darter
Etheostoma nigrum
Poeciliidae
Johnston's topminnow
Micropanchax johnstoni
Cyprinidae
Jordan barbel
Luciobarbus longiceps
04 / FIELD NOTES
A closer look
What makes a fish freshwater?
It is recorded from inland waters with low salinity for all or part of its life cycle.
Are all freshwater fish closely related?
No. Freshwater is a habitat category that includes many separate evolutionary groups.
Can freshwater fish survive in seawater?
Most cannot; without physiological adaptations to excrete excess salt, their cells rapidly lose water through osmosis and dehydrate in hypertonic seawater.