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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

Rivers and lakes

Fresh water: rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. 423 fish on EveryFish so far.

Rivers, lakes, streams and ponds hold less than one per cent of the Earth's water, yet about half of all known fish species live in them. Fresh water is broken into separate basins, and fish that cannot cross between them evolve apart, which is why each river system and lake has its own species. The Amazon, Congo, Mekong and Ganges basins and the great lakes of Africa are the richest.

Life in fresh water

A freshwater fish is saltier inside than the water around it, so it must pump salt in through its gills and pass a lot of dilute urine. Freshwater habitats range from torrential Himalayan streams, where loaches cling to rocks, to warm, still swamps where air-breathing snakeheads, catfish and gouramis thrive. Many river fish time their spawning to floods: the Indian major carps spawn in the monsoon floodwaters, and Mekong fish move into flooded forests.

The most threatened fish

Freshwater fish are declining faster than sea fish. A 2021 report by conservation groups found that about a third of freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction and that 80 had already been declared extinct. Dams block migrations, water is drawn off for farms and cities, pollution and sand mining degrade rivers, and introduced species such as tilapia and African catfish compete with native fish. In India, the rivers of the Western Ghats and the North-East hold many endemic fish at risk.

Famous rivers and lakes fish

RohuA river carp of the Indian subcontinentArapaimaAn air-breathing giant of the AmazonMekong giant catfishOne of the largest freshwater fishGolden mahseerThe golden mahseer of Himalayan riversNile perchA huge predator of African lakesRed-bellied piranhaA schooling fish of South American riversZebrafishA small fish of South Asian streams

Further reading

GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
Latin America and the CaribbeanPenguinfish Small striped characin from South American riversOther · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilLemon tetra Small yellow freshwater fish from the Amazon basin.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreX-ray tetra Small translucent South American freshwater fish popular in home aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1894 🇨🇴 ColombiaEmperor tetra A small freshwater fish from Colombia, prized in the aquarium trade for its striking colours and distinct sexual dimorphOther · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreMarbled hatchetfish A small South American freshwater fish kept in aquariums for its unique shape and surface-dwelling habits.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1864 🇻🇪 VenezuelaDiamond tetra Small Venezuelan freshwater fish with violet finsOther · Rivers and lakes · 1920 🇧🇴 Bolivia and 3 moreCommon hatchetfish Small freshwater fish from South AmericaOther · Rivers and lakes WorldSplash tetra Small South American fish that lays eggs on leaves above waterOther · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreThree spot gourami Hardy freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia with distinct side spots.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 3 moreMoonlight gourami A small, silvery labyrinth fish native to Southeast Asian rivers and swamps.Other · Rivers and lakes Southeast AsiaPygmy gourami A tiny freshwater fish from Southeast Asia known for its iridescent colours and ability to make sounds.Other · Rivers and lakes Chocolate gourami 🇲🇾 MalaysiaChocolate gourami Small maternal mouthbrooding fish from Southeast Asian peat swampsOther · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreParadise fish Aggressive freshwater gourami from East AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes WorldPeters's elephantnose fish A West African freshwater fish that navigates using weak electric pulses.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldDamselfish Small marine fish known for aggressive territorial behaviour and reef farming.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldMoray eel A global family of elongated marine eels known for their powerful jaws and patterned skin.Eel · Coasts and shelves WorldCardinalfishes Small, colourful reef fish known for male mouthbrooding.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 moreSouthern platyfish Small live-bearing freshwater fish from Central AmericaLivebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇽 MexicoVariable platyfish Small livebearing fish from Mexico popular in home aquariumsLivebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 moreCardinal tetra Small freshwater fish with a bright red belly and iridescent blue stripe.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1956 🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreGreen swordtail A hardy live-bearing fish popular in home aquariums.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1848 🇧🇷 BrazilBlack neon tetra Small freshwater characin with white and black stripes, popular in the aquarium trade.Other · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaHump-head cichlid A blue cichlid with a forehead hump from Lake MalawiCichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldWhite spotted cichlid A small rock-dwelling cichlid from Lake Tanganyika.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaRed Zebra Cichlid A colourful rock-dwelling cichlid from Lake Malawi.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldOcellated shell dweller Small cichlid from Lake Tanganyika living in snail shellsCichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaBlunthead cichlid A colourful algae-eating cichlid from Lake Tanganyika.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇷 Costa Rica and 1 moreMidas cichlid Large aggressive cichlid from Central AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇳🇮 NicaraguaRed devil cichlid Large aggressive cichlid from Central American lakesCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇽 Mexico and 3 moreSalvin's cichlid A colourful Central American river fish with a yellow body and red belly.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreTexas cichlid The only cichlid native to the United StatesCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇿 TanzaniaPundamilia nyererei A small cichlid from Lake Victoria named after Tanzania's first president.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldUaru A large South American cichlid from clear Amazon streams.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1840 Sub-Saharan AfricaBumblebee cichlid A Lake Malawi cichlid that cleans catfish and steals their eggs.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaKenyi cichlid A bright yellow and blue cichlid from Lake Malawi.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaGiraffe hap A sand-ambushing cichlid from Lake Malawi.Cichlid · 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 Sub-Saharan AfricaZebra mbuna Small rock-dwelling cichlid from Lake MalawiCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇻🇪 VenezuelaKeyhole cichlid Small peaceful cichlid from South AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreFlag cichlid A South American cichlid from river basins in Brazil and Bolivia.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilPterophyllum A genus of laterally compressed freshwater cichlids known as angelfish.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1824 🇻🇪 Venezuela and 2 moreAltum angelfish Large freshwater angelfish from the Orinoco Basin.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇪 Peru and 1 moreGreen terror A large, aggressive South American cichlid kept in aquariums.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilDiscus Round, colourful cichlids from the Amazon basin.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1840 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreOscar Large South American cichlid popular in aquariumsCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1831 🇲🇽 Mexico and 4 moreJack Dempsey Aggressive cichlid native to Central AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes
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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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