Pimelodidae
Flatwhiskered catfish
Pinirampus pirinampu
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.
Flatwhiskered catfish
Cichlidae
Flaveolus Cichlid
Amphilophus flaveolus
Cichlidae
Flavescent Peacock
Aulonocara stuartgranti
Catostomidae
Fleshylip Sucker
Catostomus leopoldi
Centrarchidae
Flier
Centrarchus macropterus
Cichlidae
Flier cichlid
Archocentrus centrarchus
Eleotridae
Flinders ranges mogurnda
Mogurnda clivicola
Lepisosteidae
Florida gar
Lepisosteus platyrhincus
Centrarchidae
Florida Largemouth Bass
Micropterus floridanus
Percidae
Florida sand darter
Ammocrypta bifascia
Achiridae
Flounder
Apionichthys finis
Cyprinidae
Flower Fish
Gymnodiptychus pachycheilus
Zenarchopteridae
fly river garfish
Zenarchopterus novaeguineae
Melanotaeniidae
Fly River rainbowfish
Melanotaenia sexlineata
Atherinidae
fly-specked hardyhead
Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum
Cyprinidae
Flying barb
Esomus thermoicos
Cyprinidae
Flying fox
Epalzeorhynchos kalopterum
Osphronemidae
Foersch's Mouthbrooder
Betta foerschi
Cyprinidae
forest redfin
Pseudobarbus outeniqua
Clariidae
Forest walking catfish
Clarias leiacanthus
Pseudomugilidae
Forktail blue-eye
Pseudomugil furcatus
Latidae
Forktail lates
Lates microlepis
Vaillantellidae
Forktail Loach
Vaillantella maassi
Loricariidae
Forktail pleco
Peckoltia furcata
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.