Cyprinidae
Goldfinned barb
Puntius sachsii
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.
Goldfinned barb
Callichthyidae
Goldhead cory
Corydoras aurofrenatus
Cyprinidae
Goldie barb
Enteromius pallidus
Melanotaeniidae
Goldie River rainbowfish
Melanotaenia goldiei
Percidae
Goldline darter
Percina aurolineata
Channidae
Goldspotted snakehead
Channa aurantimaculata
Acestrorhamphidae
Goldspotted tetra
Hyphessobrycon griemi
Stevardiidae
Goldstripe characin
Creagrutus beni
Percidae
Goldstripe darter
Etheostoma parvipinne
Cyprinidae
Goldstriped flying fox : fisheries
Crossocheilus cobitis
Galaxiidae
Gollum galaxias
Galaxias gollumoides
Aenigmachannidae
Gollum snakehead
Aenigmachanna gollum
Potamotrygonidae
Gomes’s round ray
Heliotrygon gomesi
Cobitidae
Gongota loach
Canthophrys gongota
Sisoridae
Goonch
Bagarius yarrelli
Cyprinidae
Gora-chela
Securicula gora
Cyprinidae
Gorgak
Schizocypris altidorsalis
Cyprinidae
Gorgeous Barb
Clypeobarbus bellcrossi
Nothobranchiidae
Gorongosa Killifish
Nothobranchius kadleci
Anostomidae
Gosse's Leporinus
Leporinus gossei
Cyprinidae
gournara
Tropidophoxinellus hellenicus
Chilodidae
Graceful Headstander
Chilodus gracilis
Heptapteridae
Graceful pimelodella
Pimelodella gracilis
Nothobranchiidae
graham's epiplatys
Epiplatys grahami
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.