Sparidae
Carpenter seabream
Argyrozona argyrozona
FISH SPECIES
Saltwater Fish
Saltwater fish, also called marine fish, live in seas and oceans. They range from small reef residents to fast open-ocean swimmers and species that stay close to the seabed.
FISH ATLAS / FIELD GUIDESaltwater FishIN THIS CHAPTER01 / Characteristics02 / Lifestyle03 / Species04 / Field notes
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01 / NATURAL HISTORY
Characteristics
Marine fish regulate water and salts in a very different environment from freshwater fish. Body form often reflects where they live: streamlined swimmers cross open water, while compressed or camouflaged species maneuver around complex habitats.
- 01Osmoregulation in saline waters
- 02Hydrodynamic & camouflaged forms
- 03Complex marine trophic partitioning
02 / LIFESTYLE
Lifestyle
Marine fish occupy a vast, three-dimensional environment with shifting currents, light gradients and depths. Open-water pelagic species often school to travel efficiently and confuse predators, while reef residents navigate complex crevices between foraging patches. Along the coast and continental shelves, tidal cycles and changing sunlight dictate daily peaks of activity and shelter seeking.
OBSERVATION INDEX
- Pelagic schooling coordination
- Reef and crevice sheltering
- Tidal and photic activity shifts
03 / SPECIES
Representative species
Discover representative species illustrating the ecological diversity, morphologies and adaptations of this group.
Carpenter seabream
Chimaeridae
Carpenter's chimaera
Chimaera lignaria
Epigonidae
Carpenter's deepwater cardinalfish
Brephostoma carpenteri
Orectolobidae
carpet shark
Orectolobus japonicus
Orectolobidae
carpet shark
Orectolobus ornatus
Soleidae
Carpet sole
Liachirus melanospilos
Cynoglossidae
Carrot tonguesole
Cynoglossus dubius
Haemulidae
Carruco sargo
Genyatremus pacifici
Sciaenidae
Cassava croaker
Pseudotolithus senegalensis
Cheilodactylidae
Castaneta
Nemadactylus bergi
Narcinidae
Castello's apron numbfish
Discopyge castelloi
Opistognathidae
Castelnau's jawfish
Opistognathus castelnaui
Labridae
Castelnau's wrasse
Dotalabrus aurantiacus
Muraenidae
Castle's moray
Gymnothorax castlei
Parascylliidae
cat shark
Parascyllium collare
Parascylliidae
cat shark
Parascyllium ferrugineum
Parascylliidae
cat shark
Parascyllium variolatum
Anarhichadidae
catfish
Anarhichas lupus
Chlopsidae
Catherine's False Moray
Robinsia catherinae
Brachaeluridae
catshark
Brachaelurus waddi
Hemiscylliidae
catshark
Chiloscyllium plagiosum
Hemiscylliidae
catshark
Chiloscyllium punctatum
Apogonidae
Cat’s eye cardinalfish
Siphamia arnazae
Colocongridae
Caudal-spot short-tail eel
Coloconger maculatus
04 / FIELD NOTES
A closer look
Do saltwater fish drink water?
Yes. Because surrounding seawater is saltier than their internal fluids, marine bony fish constantly lose water by osmosis, requiring them to drink seawater continuously and pump excess salts out via gill cells.
Do all saltwater fish live on reefs?
No. Coral reefs represent only a fraction of marine environments; the vast majority of marine species inhabit open pelagic waters, continental shelves, or the deep ocean floor.
Can a species live in both freshwater and saltwater?
Yes. Euryhaline and migratory species like salmon, bull sharks and European eels actively adjust their osmotic regulation between fresh and marine waters.