Cyprinidae
Kuban Spirlin
Alburnoides kubanicus
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.
Kuban Spirlin
Cyprinidae
Kuban's nase
Chondrostoma kubanicum
Sisoridae
Kudremukh Glyptothorax
Glyptothorax kudremukhensis
Cobitidae
Kuhli Loach
Pangio kuhlii
Bagridae
Kukumai
Bathybagrus grandis
Cichlidae
Kululu
Sarotherodon steinbachi
Cichlidae
Kunapari
Chaetobranchus flavescens
Cyprinidae
Kunar snowtrout
Schizothorax labiatus
Cyprinidae
Kunming Snout Trout
Schizothorax grahami
Cyprinidae
Kura barbel
Barbus lacerta
Cyprinidae
Kura bleak
Alburnus filippii
Cyprinidae
Kura chub
Alburnoides eichwaldii
Nemacheilidae
Kura Loach
Oxynoemacheilus brandtii
Cyprinidae
Kura nase
Chondrostoma cyri
Cyprinidae
Kuria Labeo
Labeo gonius
Nemacheilidae
Kuschakewitsch loach
Iskandaria kuschakewitschi
Atherinidae
Kutubu hardyhead
Craterocephalus lacustris
Acestrorhamphidae
Kyburz Tetra
Pseudochalceus kyburzi
Cyprinidae
Kyushu bitterling
Rhodeus atremius
Cobitidae
Küçük Menderes spined loach
Cobitis fahireae
Heptapteridae
La Lucha blind catfish
Rhamdia laluchensis
Goodeidae
La Luz Splitfin
Zoogoneticus purhepechus
Cyprinodontidae
La Palma pupfish
Cyprinodon longidorsalis
Sciaenidae
La Plata croaker
Pachyurus bonariensis
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.