Cichlidae
Kambuzi
Protomelas kirkii
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.
Kambuzi
Cyprinidae
Kami barb
Puntius kamalika
Bagridae
Kampango
Bagrus meridionalis
Badidae
Kanabo Badis
Badis kanabos
Percidae
Kanawha darter
Etheostoma kanawhae
Cyprinidae
Kanawha Minnow
Phenacobius teretulus
Cottidae
Kanawha Sculpin
Cottus kanawhae
Callichthyidae
Kane's cory
Corydoras kanei
Cyprinidae
Kanglang fish
Anabarilius grahami
Cyprinidae
Kao-ping Chub
Opsariichthys kaopingensis
Osphronemidae
Kapuas Betta
Betta krataios
Ehiravidae
Kapuas river sprat
Clupeichthys bleekeri
Cichlidae
Kariba tilapia
Oreochromis mortimeri
Cyprinidae
Karnataka labeo
Labeo nigrescens
Cichlidae
Karomo
Oreochromis karomo
Cichlidae
Karonga tilapia
Oreochromis karongae
Cyprinidae
karst dace
Telestes karsticus
Cyprinidae
Karst Minnow
Phoxinus karsticus
Cichlidae
Kasawala
Oreochromis squamipinnis
Nemacheilidae
Kashgarian loach
Hedinichthys yarkandensis
Cyprinidae
Kashmir latia
Crossocheilus diplochilus
Nemacheilidae
Kashmir triplophysa-loach
Triplophysa marmorata
Bedotiidae
Katrana
Rheocles alaotrensis
Alestidae
Kaya Robber
Brycinus leuciscus
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.