Catostomidae
Desert sucker
Pantosteus clarkii
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
SCROLL
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.
Desert sucker
Synbranchidae
Desilva's blind eel
Ophichthys desilvai
Cyprinidae
Deto puti
Puntius stigma
Serrasalmidae
Devil Piranha
Serrasalmus nalseni
Cyprinodontidae
Devils Hole pupfish
Cyprinodon diabolis
Cyprinidae
Devils River Minnow
Dionda diaboli
Cyprinidae
Devoll riffle minnow
Alburnoides devolli
Cyprinidae
Dharna barb
Puntius fraseri
Cichlidae
Diadem Cichlid
Aequidens diadema
Percidae
Diamond darter
Crystallaria cincotta
Acestrorhamphidae
Diamond tetra
Moenkhausia pittieri
Cyprinidae
Dianchi carp
Cyprinus micristius
Cichlidae
Dikume
Konia dikume
Terapontidae
Dillie grunter
Syncomistes dilliensis
Cichlidae
Dimerus Cichlid
Cichlasoma dimerus
Cyprinidae
Dinnawah snowtrout
Schizothorax progastus
Cichlidae
Diquis Cichlid
Cribroheros diquis
Callichthyidae
Dirty bandit cory
Corydoras loxozonus
Doradidae
Dirty thicklip thornycat
Rhinodoras armbrusteri
Loricariidae
Discolor Whiptail Catfish
Loricaria parnahybae
Potamotrygonidae
Discus ray
Paratrygon aiereba
Acestrorhamphidae
Discus tetra
Brachychalcinus orbicularis
Fundulidae
Disjunct Studfish
Fundulus cryptocatenatus
Serrasalmidae
Disk tetra
Myloplus schomburgkii
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.