Gobiidae
Elizabeth Springs goby
Chlamydogobius micropterus
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.
Elizabeth Springs goby
Cichlidae
Elizabeth's Dwarf Cichlid
Apistogramma elizabethae
Gasterosteidae
Ellinopygósteos
Pungitius hellenicus
Poeciliidae
Ellipse spot toothcarp
Phalloceros harpagos
Triportheidae
Elongate hatchetfish
Triportheus elongatus
Cichlidae
Elongate Lamprologus Cichlid
Lepidiolamprologus elongatus
Botiidae
Elongate Loach
Leptobotia citrauratea
Botiidae
Elongate loach
Leptobotia elongata
Cichlidae
Elongate mbuna
Chindongo elongatus
Nothobranchiidae
Elongate nothobranch
Nothobranchius elongatus
Alestidae
Elongate tigerfish
Hydrocynus forskahlii
Cichlidae
Elongated eartheater
Gymnogeophagus mekinos
Bagridae
Elongated Kerala Mystus
Mystus heoki
Cyprinidae
Elongated stone sucker
Garra elongata
Alestidae
Elongated Turkana robber
Micralestes elongatus
Loricariidae
Elongated whiptail catfish
Rineloricaria longicauda
Acestrorhamphidae
Ember tetra
Hyphessobrycon amandae
Nothobranchiidae
Emerald aphyosemion
Fundulopanchax scheeli
Cichlidae
Emerald cichlid
Hypselecara temporalis
Percidae
Emerald darter
Etheostoma baileyi
Cyprinidae
Emerald Gudgeon
Romanogobio skywalkeri
Cyprinidae
emerald shiner
Notropis atherinoides
Cichlidae
Emperor Cichlid
Aulonocara nyassae
Botiidae
Emperor Loach
Botia udomritthiruji
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.