Freshwater Fishes
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Listed below are several pages which are organized to scientifically categorize freshwater fishes. Click on the classification to go to the dedicated page of said classification.

(Note: "Number of Species" Includes marine species.)
Note as well that on each species page, if a classification is labeled as "Brackish, Marine, Fresh" or any of its counterpart labels, this does not mean that every fish in the taxa can live in all three of these waters. This simply means the taxa consists of different species that live in those waters.)

Anchovies and Herrings

Number of Species: 400

Freshwater Examples: Bluntnosed Sawtooth Pellonuline, Freshwater Anchovy, Tanganyikan Sardine


Asiatic Glassfishes

Number of Species: 51

Freshwater Examples: Humphead Glassfish, Indian Glassfish, Macleay's glassfish


Beloniformes, Bowfins and Gars

Number of Species: 272

Freshwater Examples: Bowfin, Needlenose Gar, Alligator Gar


Bichirs and Reedfish

Number of Species: 13

Freshwater Examples: Ornate Bichir, Reedfish, Senegal Bichir


Blennies

Number of Species: 900

Freshwater Examples: Trichonis blenny, Freshwater Blenny


Cardinalfishes and Nurseryfishes

Number of Species: 354

Freshwater Examples: Indian Humphead, Mouth Almighty, Nurseryfish


Carps and Minnows

Number of Species: 3001

Freshwater Examples: Amur Carp, Goldfish, Redfin Shark, Zebra Danio


Catfishes

Number of Species: 3000

Freshwater Examples: Blue Catfish, Common Plecostomus, Panda Corydoras, Redtail Catfish


Centrarchiformes

Number of Species: 290

Freshwater Examples: Flagtail Prochilodus, Redbreast Sunfish, Smallmouth Bass


Characiformes

Number of Species: 2000

Freshwater Examples: Neon Tetra, Pinktail Chalceu, Red-bellied Pacu, Skirt Tetra


Cichlids

Number of Species: 1702

Freshwater Examples: Blue Discus, Bumblebee Cichlid, Common Angelfish, Keyhole Cichlid, Tiger Oscar Cichlid


Clingfishes

Number of Species: 180

Freshwater Examples: Mexican Clingfish, Penisular Clingfish


Cods and Allies

Number of Species: 555

Freshwater Examples: Burbot


Dragonets

Number of Species: 153

Freshwater Examples: Chinese Darter Dragonet, Mekong Delta Dragonet, Tonlesapia tsukawakii


Flatfishes

Number of Species: 800

Freshwater Examples: Catathyridium jenynsii, Hypoclinemus mentalis, Trinectes hubbsbollinger


Galaxiiformes

Number of Species: 53

Freshwater Examples: Arthurs Paragalaxias, Mountain Galaxias, Western Mudminnow


Gasterosteiformes

Number of Species: 8

Freshwater Examples: Difficult to determine, will be updated


Gobies

Number of Species: 2211

Freshwater Examples: Chinese Sleeper, Dark Sleeper, Typhleotris madagascariensis


Jawless Fishes

Number of Species: 117

Freshwater Examples: Brook Lamprey, European River Lamprey


Labyrinth Fishes

Number of Species: 550

Freshwater Examples: Dwarf Gourami, Leopard Bushfish, Rainbow Snakehead, Siamese Fighting Fish


Lepidogalaxiiformes

Number of Species: 1

Freshwater Examples: Salamanderfish


Loaches

Number of Species: 1249

Freshwater Examples: Clown Loach, Dojo Loach, Kuhli Loach, Zebra Loach


Lobe-finned Fishes

Number of Species: 8

Freshwater Examples: Gilled Lungfish, Spotted lungfish, West African Lungfish


Milkfishes

Number of Species: 50

Freshwater Examples: Grasseichthys gabonensis, Naked Shellear


Mooneyes

Number of Species: 5

Freshwater Examples: Goldeye, Mooneye


Mullets

Number of Species: 78

Freshwater Examples: Burmese Mullet, Mountain Mullet, Pinkeye Mullet


Osteoglossiformes

Number of Species: 245

Freshwater Examples: Aba, Asian Arowana, PirarucĂș, Silver Arowana


Ophidiiformes

Number of Species: 380

Freshwater Examples: Lucifuga simile


Perciformes

Number of Species: Debated Upon, anywhere from 6000 to 10000

Freshwater Examples: Brook Stickleback, Torrentfish


Percopsiformes

Number of Species: 10

Freshwater Examples: Alabama Cavefish, Swampfish, Trout-perch


Pipefishes

Number of Species: 1000

Freshwater Examples: Andaman Pipefish, Freshwater Pipefish, Short-tailed Pipefish


Pikes and Mudminnows

Number of Species: 12

Freshwater Examples: Eastern Mudminnow, Northern Pike, Olympic Mudminnow


Pufferfishes

Number of Species: 349

Freshwater Examples: Dwarf Pufferfish, Fahaka Pufferfish, Mbu Pufferfish, South American Pufferfish


Rays

Number of Species: 600

Freshwater Examples: Ocellate River Stingray, Porcupine River Stingray, South American Freshwater Stingray


Sharks

Number of Species: 500

Freshwater Examples: Bull Shark, Ganges Shark


Salmon and Trout

Number of Species: 70

Freshwater Examples: Brook Trout, Pink Salmon, Sockeye Salmon


Scorpaeniformes

Number of Species: Debated upon, anywhere from 30-1400

Freshwater Examples: Big Baikal Oilfish, Luna Lionfish, Mottled Sculpin


Silversides

Number of Species: 354

Species Examples: Boesemani Rainbowfish, Honey Blue-eye, Neon Rainbowfish


South American Knifefishes

Number of Species: 134

Freshwater Examples: Banded Knifefish, Black Ghost Knifefish, Electric Eel, Glass Knifefish


Sturgeons and Paddlefishes

Number of Species: 28

Freshwater Examples: American Paddlefish, Dabry's Sturgeon, Lake Sturgeon


Swamp Eels

Number of Species: 96

Freshwater Examples: Bengal Eel, Fire Eel, Indostomus crocodiles, Tire-track Eel


Scats

Number of Species: 1500

Freshwater Examples: African Scat, Spotbaned Scat, Spotted Scat


Toadfishes

Number of Species: 83

Freshwater Examples: Thalassophryne amazonica, Daector gerringi


Toothcarps

Number of Species: 1400

Freshwater Examples: Dark-edged Splitfin, Elegant Killifish, Endler's Livebearer, Guppy, Largescale Foureyes, Molly


True Eels

Number of Species: 800

Freshwater Examples: American Eel, European Eel, Japanese Eel, Mottled Eel


True Smelts

Number of Species: 93

Freshwater Examples: Eulacheon, Protosalanx chinensis


Incertae sedis
For species whose relationships to members of defined taxons are unknown.


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