News
SpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliamentSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliament
EveryFish

All fish

1,029 fish so far, best known first. 139 more are on the list to be written.

🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreEstuarine stonefish A venomous marine ray-finned fish found in the Indo-Pacific region.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1766 WorldSpotted scat A spotted, square-bodied fish from Indo-Pacific estuaries.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1766 🇦🇺 AustraliaDwarf sawfish Smallest sawfish species, native to tropical Australia and New Guinea.Ray · Estuaries and mangroves WorldSeahorse Small marine fish with horse-like heads and curled tails in the genus Hippocampus.Other · Coasts and shelves Southeast AsiaBumblebee goby Small striped freshwater and brackish gobies from AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreAtlantic sturgeon A large anadromous fish native to the western Atlantic Ocean and its river systems.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇯 Benin and 4 moreSaddled bichir A large African freshwater fish with primitive lungs and multiple dorsal finlets.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1845 WorldLonghorn cowfish Box-shaped reef fish with long head hornsReef fish · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldCopperband butterflyfish A long-snouted reef fish with yellow stripesReef fish · Coasts and shelves 🇦🇴 Angola and 3 moreAtlantic mudskipper Semi-aquatic goby that walks on mudflats in West Africa.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1766 WorldFeatherbacks and knifefishes Freshwater bony-tongued fishes with long anal finsOther · Rivers and lakes WorldConvict tang Striped marine surgeonfish found across the Indo-Pacific.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves · 1758 🇲🇽 Mexico and 3 moreXiphophorus A genus of small livebearing fish native to Mexico and Central America, known for aquarium use and genetic research.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes WorldKillifish Small egg-laying fish known for hardiness and short lifespansLivebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United StatesLeast killifish A tiny North American fish that gives birth to live young and measures just two centimetres long.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇯🇵 JapanJapanese rice fish Small freshwater fish native to Japan and a key model organism.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreLargescale four-eyes Surface-dwelling fish with split eyes for dual vision.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1758 WorldCichlid Diverse freshwater fish family known for parental care and rapid evolution.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1835 🇹🇭 Thailand and 3 morePeacock eel A small freshwater spiny eel from Southeast Asia.Eel · Rivers and lakes 🇸🇳 Senegal and 3 moreSenegal bichir Ancient African fish that breathes air and walks on landAncient · Rivers and lakes South AsiaGreen spotted puffer Small brackish water pufferfish with a tiny genomeOther · Rivers and lakes 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 1 moreFigure 8 puffer A small brackish water pufferfish with distinctive eye-like markings.Other · Rivers and lakes OceaniaBanded archerfish A silvery fish that spits water jets to catch prey.Perch-like · Estuaries and mangroves · 1767 🇮🇩 IndonesiaCelebes rainbowfish A small, transparent silverside from Sulawesi streams.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldDamselfish Small marine fish known for aggressive territorial behaviour and reef farming.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves 🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreMexican molly Small livebearing fish from Mexico and Central America.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSailfin molly Small livebearing fish with a large dorsal fin in males.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1821 🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreGreen swordtail A hardy live-bearing fish popular in home aquariums.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1848 WorldOrbicular batfish A round, silvery marine fish native to the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreTexas cichlid The only cichlid native to the United StatesCichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaJewel cichlid Brightly colored African cichlids kept in aquariums for their vivid breeding colours and parental care.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇽 Mexico and 4 moreJack Dempsey Aggressive cichlid native to Central AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes Latin America and the CaribbeanBanjo catfish A South American family of scaleless, benthic catfish with a distinctive banjo-shaped body.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilPiraíba A massive Amazonian catfish known for its long barbels and role as an apex predator.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreTiger shovelnose catfish Large striped South American river catfishCatfish · Rivers and lakes · 1862 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreJava barb A silvery freshwater fish farmed across Southeast Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes WorldTench Slippery freshwater fish with olive-green skin and red eyes.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBat ray A large eagle ray with wing-like fins found in the eastern Pacific.Ray · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreCownose ray A migratory coastal ray with a distinctive head shape.Ray · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreRound stingray A small coastal ray from the eastern Pacific known for its painful tail spine.Ray · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreAtlantic stingray Small stingray found in Atlantic coastal waters and fresh rivers.Ray · Rivers and lakes · 1824 🇹🇭 Thailand and 3 moreGiant freshwater stingray The widest freshwater fish in the world, found in Southeast Asian rivers.Ray · Rivers and lakes · 1852 🇺🇸 United StatesBig skate Largest skate in North American Pacific watersRay · Coasts and shelves · 1855 🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreSand tiger shark Large shark of subtropical and temperate coastal waters worldwideShark · Estuaries and mangroves WorldSandbar shark Large coastal requiem shark with a high dorsal finShark · Coasts and shelves WorldSicklefin lemon shark Large Indo-Pacific requiem shark with sickle-shaped fins.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1837 WorldArcherfish Tropical fish family that shoots water jets to catch prey from above the surface.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1767 🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreMozambique tilapia A hardy cichlid from southeastern Africa, now farmed globally and listed as a major invasive species.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.