Channidae
Leopard snakehead
Channa pardalis
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
SCROLL
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.
Leopard snakehead
Goodeidae
Leopard Splitfin
Xenotaenia resolanae
Mochokidae
Leopard squeaker
Synodontis leopardinus
Nemacheilidae
Leopard Stone Loach
Barbatula leoparda
Acestrorhamphidae
Leopold’s tetra
Astyanax leopoldi
Acestrorhamphidae
Lepidura Tetra
Moenkhausia lepidura
Anostomidae
Leporinus steindachneri
Leporinus affinis
Ictaluridae
Lerma Catfish
Ictalurus dugesii
Nemacheilidae
Lesbos stone loach
Oxynoemacheilus theophilii
Cyprinidae
Lesser Hooksnout Carp
Opsariichthys minutus
Characidae
Leticia's Headstander
Charax leticiae
Nemacheilidae
Levantine loach
Oxynoemacheilus namiri
Synbranchidae
Liberian swamp eel
Typhlosynbranchus boueti
Poeciliidae
Liberty molly
Poecilia salvatoris
Osphronemidae
Licorice gourami
Parosphromenus deissneri
Callichthyidae
Light cory
Corydoras guianensis
Cyprinidae
Light's bitterling
Rhodeus lighti
Potamotrygonidae
Lima's River Stingray
Potamotrygon limai
Acestrorhamphidae
Lime Astyanax
Astyanax keronolepis
Goodeidae
Limones splitfin
Ilyodon xantusi
Mormyridae
Limpopo Bulldog Fish
Marcusenius krameri
Cyprinidae
Lin's shoveljaw carp
Onychostoma lini
Poeciliidae
Lindo toothcarp
Phalloceros megapolos
Cyprinidae
Line-spotted barb
Enteromius lineomaculatus
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.