Eleotridae
Kimberley mogurnda
Mogurnda oligolepis
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.
Kimberley mogurnda
Nothobranchiidae
Kindia killi
Scriptaphyosemion cauveti
Cyprinidae
Kinesisk Bitterling
Acheilognathus barbatulus
Hepsetidae
Kingsley's African Pike
Hepsetus kingsleyae
Cyprinidae
Kinneret bleak
Mirogrex terraesanctae
Salmonidae
Kirikuchi char
Salvelinus japonicus
Cichlidae
Kirondo
Tropheops macrophthalmus
Helostomatidae
kissing gourami
Helostoma temminckii
Prochilodontidae
Kissing prochilodus
Semaprochilodus insignis
Acestrorhamphidae
Kite Poptella
Poptella longipinnis
Cyprinidae
Kithulgala danio
Devario micronema
Nemacheilidae
Kittipong's cave loach
Schistura jarutanini
Cichlidae
Kiwinge
Dimidiochromis kiwinge
Salmonidae
Kiyi
Coregonus kiyi
Nemacheilidae
Kizilirmak sportive loach
Oxynoemacheilus samanticus
Cottidae
Klamath Lake sculpin
Cottus princeps
Catostomidae
Klamath largescale sucker
Catostomus snyderi
Petromyzontidae
Klamath river lamprey
Entosphenus similis
Cyprinidae
Klapanunggal blind cave barb
Barbodes klapanunggalensis
Poeciliidae
Knife livebearer
Alfaro cultratus
Cottidae
Knobfin sculpin
Cottus immaculatus
Mormyridae
Knoepffler's Elephantfish
Boulengeromyrus knoepffleri
Ailiidae
Kocha garua
Clupisoma montanum
Melanotaeniidae
Kokas Rainbowfish
Melanotaenia kokasensis
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.