Poeciliidae
Chihuahua mosquitofish
Gambusia zarskei
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.
Chihuahua mosquitofish
Cyprinidae
Chihuahua Shiner
Notropis chihuahua
Trichomycteridae
Chilean Pencil Catfish
Trichomycterus areolatus
Cyprinidae
Chili Rasbora
Boraras brigittae
Atherinopsidae
Chimalapa silverside
Atherinella schultzi
Astroblepidae
Chimborazo climbing catfish
Astroblepus chimborazoi
Dasyatidae
Chindwin Cowtail Ray
Makararaja chindwinensis
Cyprinidae
Chinese barb
Barbodes semifasciolatus
Cyprinidae
Chinese bleak
Aphyocypris chinensis
Gobionidae
Chinese false gudgeon
Abbottina obtusirostris
Catostomidae
Chinese high fin banded shark
Myxocyprinus asiaticus
Cyprinidae
Chinese Hooksnout Carp
Opsariichthys bidens
Cyprinidae
Chinese lake gudgeon
Sarcocheilichthys sinensis
Siluridae
Chinese large-mouth catfish
Silurus meridionalis
Cyprinidae
Chinese minnow
Rhynchocypris oxycephala
Cobitidae
Chinese muddy loach
Misgurnus mizolepis
Cyprinidae
Chinese rasbora
Rasbora steineri
Adrianichthyidae
Chinese rice fish
Oryzias sinensis
Cyprinidae
Chinese-tassel fish
Sinocrossocheilus guizhouensis
Salmonidae
Chinook salmon
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Curimatidae
Chio Chio
Cyphocharax pantostictos
Balitoridae
Chipkali stone loach
Balitora chipkali
Cichlidae
Chiquitano Cichlid
Bujurquina oenolaemus
Cyprinidae
Chirruh Snowtrout
Schizothorax esocinus
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.