Siluridae
Malay glass catfish
Ompok eugeneiatus
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.
Malay glass catfish
Cyprinidae
Malayan flying barb
Esomus malayensis
Pristolepididae
Malayan leaffish
Pristolepis fasciata
Siluridae
Malayan Vampiric Sheatfish
Belodontichthys dinema
Cottidae
Malheur sculpin
Cottus bendirei
Cyprinidae
Maluti Redfin
Pseudobarbus quathlambae
Nothobranchiidae
Mamfe killi
Fundulopanchax mamfensis
Cyprinidae
Manantial roundnose minnow
Dionda argentosa
Doradidae
Manaus mouse catfish
Nemadoras humeralis
Gobionidae
Manchurian gudgeon
Gnathopogon strigatus
Botiidae
Manchurian spiny loach
Parabotia mantschuricus
Nemacheilidae
Mancilik dwarf loach
Oxynoemacheilus paucilepis
Nemacheilidae
Mandalay Zipper Loach
Paracanthocobitis mandalayensis
Percichthyidae
mandarin fish
Siniperca chuatsi
Loricariidae
Mandarin Pleco
Hypostomus asperatus
Mochokidae
Mandi
Synodontis clarias
Pimelodidae
Mandinho
Parapimelodus nigribarbis
Osphronemidae
Mandor Betta
Betta mandor
Auchenipteridae
Manduba
Ageneiosus inermis
Cyprinidae
Mangar
Luciobarbus esocinus
Cichlidae
Mangarahara Cichlid
Ptychochromis insolitus
Loricariidae
Mango pleco
Baryancistrus chrysolomus
Cyprinidae
Manipur baril
Opsarius dogarsinghi
Cyprinidae
Manipur danio
Devario acuticephala
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.