Cyprinidae
Black shinner
Pseudopungtungia nigra
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.
Black shinner
Channidae
Black snakehead
Channa melasoma
Goodeidae
Black Splitfin
Xenotoca melanosoma
Serrasalmidae
Black spot piranha
Pygocentrus cariba
Gobiidae
Black stiphodon
Stiphodon atratus
Cichlidae
Black Stripe Dwarf Cichlid
Taeniacara candidi
Cyprinidae
Black Stripe Gudgeon
Pungtungia herzi
Mochokidae
black synodontis
Synodontis haugi
Acestrorhamphidae
black tetra
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Acestrorhamphidae
Black Tetra
Hyphessobrycon niger
Gobiidae
Black Towuti goby
Mugilogobius hitam
Erythrinidae
Black wolf-fish
Hoplias curupira
Cyprinodontidae
Black-and-blue Pupfish
Cyprinodon higuey
Cyprinidae
Black-backed hampala : fisheries
Hampala siamensis
Cyprinidae
black-lobe algae eater
Crossocheilus nigriloba
Salmonidae
Black-spotted Cutthroat Trout
Oncorhynchus virginalis
Mochokidae
Black-spotted Synodontis
Synodontis acanthomias
Cynodontidae
Black-tailed Payara
Hydrolycus armatus
Doradidae
Black-top Mouse Catfish
Hassar orestis
Gasteropelecidae
Black-winged hatchetfish
Carnegiella marthae
Cyprinidae
Blackback barb
Enteromius barnardi
Percidae
blackbanded darter
Percina nigrofasciata
Lebiasinidae
blackbanded pyrrhulina
Copella nigrofasciata
Centrarchidae
Blackbanded sunfish
Enneacanthus chaetodon
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.