Poeciliidae
Blackbelly limia
Limia melanogaster
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.
Blackbelly limia
Cyprinidae
Blackbrow bleak
Acanthobrama microlepis
Cynodontidae
Blackear Payara
Cynodon meionactis
Salmonidae
Blackfin cisco
Coregonus nigripinnis
Percidae
Blackfin darter
Etheostoma nigripinne
Goodeidae
blackfin goodea
Goodea atripinnis
Rivulidae
Blackfin pearlfish
Austrolebias nigripinnis
Atherinopsidae
Blackfin Silverside
Atherinella crystallina
Sisoridae
Blackfin sisorid-catfish
Gagata dolichonema
Cichlidae
Blackfin tilapia
Sarotherodon linnellii
Cichlidae
Blackgullet cichlid
Thorichthys pasionis
Cyprinidae
Blackline algae eater
Paracrossochilus vittatus
Serrasalmidae
Blackline myleus
Myloplus nigrolineatus
Acestrorhamphidae
Blackline penguinfish
Thayeria boehlkei
Cyprinidae
Blackline rasbora
Rasbora borapetensis
Acestrorhamphidae
Blackline tetra
Hyphessobrycon scholzei
Nemacheilidae
Blacklined zipper loach
Paracanthocobitis nigrolineata
Cichlidae
Blacklipped pike cichlid
Crenicichla celidochilus
Atherinidae
Blackmast
Craterocephalus stramineus
Cyprinidae
Blacknose Butterfly Barb
Enteromius candens
Cyprinidae
blacknose dace
Rhinichthys atratulus
Cyprinidae
Blacknose Shiner
Notropis heterolepis
Cyprinidae
Blackside Dace
Chrosomus cumberlandensis
Percidae
blackside darter
Percina maculata
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.