Nemacheilidae
Continental stone loach
Barbatula nuda
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.
Continental stone loach
Cyprinidae
Convict barb
Systomus endecanalis
Cichlidae
Convict Cichlid
Amatitlania nigrofasciata
Cichlidae
Convict julie
Julidochromis regani
Plotosidae
Cooper Creek catfish
Neosiluroides cooperensis
Cyprinidae
Coosa chub
Macrhybopsis etnieri
Percidae
Coosa darter
Etheostoma coosae
Lebiasinidae
copeina
Pyrrhulina spilota
Acestrorhamphidae
Copeland's Tetra
Megalamphodus copelandi
Loricariidae
Coppename Catfish
Pseudancistrus kwinti
Cyprinidae
Copper mahseer
Neolissochilus hexagonolepis
Catostomidae
Copper redhorse
Moxostoma hubbsi
Alestidae
Copper Tetra
Hemigrammopetersius pulcher
Percidae
Coppercheek darter
Nothonotus aquali
Cyprinidae
Coppernose barb
Raiamas christyi
Cyprinidae
Copperstripe barb
Enteromius multilineatus
Cyprinidae
Copperstripe rasbora
Rasbora leptosoma
Lebiasinidae
coral red pencilfish
Nannostomus mortenthaleri
Catostomidae
Cordilleran Sucker
Pantosteus bondi
Valenciidae
Corfu toothcarp
Valencia letourneuxi
Mormyridae
Cornish jack
Mormyrops anguilloides
Pimelodidae
Coroatá
Platynematichthys notatus
Gymnotidae
Coropina Knifefish
Gymnotus coropinae
Loricariidae
Corroncho
Pterygoplichthys punctatus
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.