freshwater fish
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Freshwater Fish. Belize 2005 Tropical Ecology. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Freshwater FishBelize2005
Tropical Ecology
American Eel
Scientific Name: Auguilla rostrata Family: Anguillidae*Grow up to 5 ft.*Lives for up to years.*Distribution: America, Greenland, Canada, USA, West Indies, Trinidad*Lives in permanent streams with continuous flow, hides during day*Feeding Habits: Benthic Larvae , Crustaceans & Fish*Breeding Habits: Migrate to Sargasso Sea in Autumn
Bull SharkScientific Name: Carcharhinus leucas
Family Name: Carcharhinidae • Grow up to 11 ½ ft.• Avg. Age: 32 Yrs• Habitat: Fresh, Brackish,Salt• Distribution: Warm Oceans,
Lakes, Rivers. USA, Brazil, Morocco, Africa, India, Australia
• Inhabitants shallow waters, swims far up-river. Found near estuaries.
• Feeding Habits: Bony Fish, other Sharks, Rays, Crabs, Squid, occasionally Garbage
• Most Dangerous Trop. Shark • Live Birth
Tarpon Scientific Name: Megalops atlanticus Family: Megalopidae
• Grows up to 8 ft• Habitat: Fresh, Brackish, Marine-Mangrove, Coastal,
Estuaries • Distribution: Portugal, USA, Brazil, Panama, America,
Canada• Lives in schools• Feeding Habits: Eats Fish-Sardines, Anchovies• Can live in oxygen poor waters• Game Fish: Largest on Record 238 lbs!!
•
Southern PlatyFishScientific Name: Xiphophorus maculatus
Family Name: Cyprinodontimformes
• Grows up to 6 cm• Distribution: The Americas; from Mexico to N. Belize• Habitat: Lives in warm springs, canals, & ditches in slow-
moving water, silt bottoms and weedy banks• Feeding Habits: Worms, Crustacean, & Insects• Live Bearer
Jack Dempsey Scientific Name: Cichlasoma octofasciatum Family: Cichlidae*Grow up to 25 cm *Distribution: N. & C. America; southern Mexico to Honduras *Lives in wetland areas with warm, murky water. *Found in weedy, mud-bottomed and sand-bottomed canals.*Prefers coastal plains & slow moving waters of lower river valleys. *Feeds on worms, benthics and fish.
Southern Checkmark Cichlid Scientific Name: Vieja godmanni Family: Cichlidae*Inhabits rivers and streams*Prefers fast flowing, cooler waters, such as mountain runoffs. *Feeding Habits: Omnivorous-specialized in fresh vegetation
Blue-Eye Cichlid Scientific Name: Cichlisoma spilurum Family: Cichlidae*Small Species: Grow up to 12 cm. *Habitat: from lowland swamps or wetlands to cool mountain streams.
Firemouth Cichlid Scientific Name: Cichlisoma meeki
Family: Cichlidae *Grow up to around 4 ft. *One of the most abundant Cichlids. *Relatively a deep-bodied species with a triangular head *Studies have shown that the eyespots on the opercle makes the fish look larger when flared
Mayan Cichlid Scientific Name: Cichlasoma urophthalmus Family: Cichlidae*Grow up to 20 cm. *Most common in low-lying coastal areas. *Large predatory cichlid*Tolerant of saltwater & have been found breeding there. *Studies show, species grows quicker in saltwater
Redhead Cichlid Scientific Name: Cichlasoma synspilum
Family: Cichlidae *Females grow up to 17 cm, Males are usually larger. *Confused with the Maculicuada because of body shape & coloration. *Feeding Habits: Omnivorous, prone more to vegetation.
Yellowjacket Cichlid Scientific Name: Cichlasoma friedrichstali Family: Cichlidae*Grow up to 15 ½ cm*One of the largest Belize Cichlids. *One of the most Distinct Cichlids-Large Mouth, Brassy Yellow Color
Bay Snook Scientific name: Petinia splendida
Family: Cichlidae
•Can grow to 30 cm •Feeding Habits: feeds on other fish •In Belize it is used for food & as a game fish.
Swordspine SnookScientific Name: Centropomus ensiferus
Family Name: Perciformes• Can grow up to 36 cm• Distribution: Western Atlantic & Continental coasts of
Central and South America• Habitat: Freshwater, Brackish, Marine• Lives mainly in coastal waters, estuaries and lagoons,
prefers freshwater. Found over soft bottoms• Feeding Habits: Small fish and crustacean
Mexican SnookScientific Name: Centropomus poeyi
Family Name: Perciformes• Grow up to 90 cm• Habitat: Freshwater, brackish, Marine• Distribution: Mexico to Belize• Lives in coastal waters, estuaries and lagoons• Spawning occurs in fresh or low-brackish waters• Feeding Habits: Fish and Crustaceans• Gamefish
Nile TalipiaScientific Name: Oreochromis niloticus
niloticus Family Name: Perciformes
• Grow up to 60 cm• Habitat: Freshwater &
Brackish• Distribution: Africa; coastal
waters of Israel; Nile, Introduced species to Belize
• Adverse ecological impacts have been reported
• Lives in wide variety of freshwater habitats; rivers, lakes, sewage canals, etc.
• Mainly diurnal• Feeding Habits:
Phytoplankton or benthic algae
• Food Fish
Atlantic Thread Herring
Scientific Name: Opisthonema oglinun Family Name: Clupeidae
• Lives in Mangrove channels
• Feeding habits: Filters plankton (Copepods) & also takes in small fish and crabs.
• Distribution: Central Atlantic, from Chesapeake Bay to Brazil (Belize)
Thread Fin Shad Scientific Name: Dorsoma pretenense Family: Clupeidae *Can grow up to 18 cm. *Feeding Habits: Eats plankton but when scarce it will find something else *Spawn in schools early in the morning in shallow water near brush, logs, or plants to minimize predation of eggs*Eggs adhesive
Machaca Native Name: MacabilScientific Name: Brycon guatemalensis Family: Characidae
• Grow up to 59 cm• Central America: From Grijalva
River, Mexico to E. Panama; in the Pacific slope, only in Choluteca River basin of Honduras.
• Found in lakes, rivers & streams between 0 & 600 m elevation.
• The young feed on terrestrial & aquatic insects, leaves, fruits and seeds.
• Adults mainly herbivorous• Eggs are deposited in nests
located in sand bottoms of streams
Spinycheek SleeperScientific Name: Eleotris pisonis
Family Name: Eleotridae• Grow to 25 cm• Distribution: Bermuda,
Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, Central America, Brazil
• Lives in shallow muddy waters or sandy bottoms
• Feeding Habits: dipteran larvae & pupae, crustaceans, such as crabs, & even small fish
Bigmouth Sleeper Scientific Name: Gobiomorus dormitor
Family: Eleotridae *Grow up to 60 cm*Distribution: U.S.; southern Florida & southern Texas to eastern Brazil, Africa; Macias Nguema (Fernando Po).*Adults live in fresh water-Well Inland.*Inhabits larger free flowing clear water streams *Lies mostly on the bottom in slower moving part of streams*Carnivores and Benthivores*Relies on its sluggish behavior & cryptic coloration to capture crustaceans and fish.
River Goby Scientific Name: Awaous banana Family Name: Gobiidae• Grow up to 30 cm• Habitat: Fresh, brackish, clear streams & rivers, but also in
muddy turbid waters, Prefers well oxygenated water• Feeding Habits: Mainly filamentous Algae
Lyre GobyScientific Name: Evorthodus lyricus
Family Name: Gobiidae
• Grow to 15 cm• Distribution: From
Chesapeake Bay, USA to the Northern Gulf of Mexico, continuing to the Northern parts of South America
• Occurs mainly in muddy backwaters, often in foul waters
Crested GobyScientific Name: Lophogobius
cyprinoides Family Name: Gobiidae
• Grow to 10 cm• Habitat: Freshwater, Brackish & Marine• Distribution: Western Atlantic, Bermuda, Florida (USA), to
Central and South America• Lives in tidal creeks, mangroves & other quite, fresh to fully
saline waters
Banded Astyanx Scientific Name: Astyanax aneus Family: Characidae*Grow up to 10 cm*Distribution: North, Central & South America, & most freshwater basins from Mexico to Argentina.*Inhabits: Slow-moving streams & rivers and lentic areas. *Vivacious, eats small fish & will bite pieces of meat.
Mountain Mullet Scientific Name: Agonostomus monticola Family: Mugilidae*Grow up to 5 ½ cm*Distribution: North America; North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana & Texas, U.S., to Colombia & Venezuela, including the West Indies.*Adults live in freshwater rivers & streams. . *Only mullet that swims far inland and spends all its adult life in freshwater. *Tends solitary in upper streams, but form uneven schools in larger streams at lower elevations
Bobo MulletScientific Name:Joturus pichardi
Family Name: Mugildae• Grow up to 61 cm• Max Weight Recorded: 3,250 g• Habitat: Freshwater, Brackish,
Marine• Distribution: Central America;
Mexico to Panama, Florida & the Wet Indies
• Adults live in upper reaches of rivers but enter brackish water when spawning
• Important food fish in some areas
• Feeding Habits: Herbivores, scrapes algae from rocks with its fleshy lips, although
sometimes eats prawn.
Shortfin Molly Scientific Name: Poecilia mexicana Family: Poeciliidae
*Grow up to 9 ½ cm*Considerable variation in size among the various populations.
*Mainly feeds on detritus- Feeds in fast water too.*Found in still or slow moving water & even on bottom
Mudfish
*Bottom Feeder*Effective Camouflage*Hides in vegetation & behind rocks*Opportunistic feeder
Mayan Sea CatfishScientific Name: Hexanematichthys
Assimilis Family Name: Ariidae
• Grow up to 32 cm• Habitat: Marine, Freshwater, Brackish• Distribution: Central America, Belize River basin• Gamefish & Foodfish
TopminnowScientific Name: Belonesox belizanus
Family Name: Poeciliidae• Grow up to 14 cm• Habitat: Mostly Freshwater
& sometimes Brackish
• Distribution: North & Central America
• Live Bearers
• Lives in weedy canals & tolerates poorly oxygenated waters
• Formerly used in medical research
Green SwordtailScientific Name: Xiphophorus hellerii
Family Name: Poeciliidae• Grow up to 14 cm• Habitat: Freshwater, Brackish,
pH range 7.0-8.0• Distribution: North & Central
America, & in parts of Africa• Live Bearers• Live mainly in rapidly flowing
streams & rivers, preferring heavily vegetated habitats. Occur in warm springs & their effluents, weedy canals & ponds
• Feeding Habits: Eat worms, insects, crustacean & plant matter
Dogtooth RivulusScientific Name: Rivulus tenuis
Family Name: Rivulidae
• Grow up to 6 ½ cm• Distribution: Central America; Guatemala, Mexico, Found
in Lowland areas across Belize• Aquarium Fish• Lives in Freshwater only• Hide in vegetation at water’s edge
ClingfishScientific Name: Gobisox nudus
Family Name: Gobiesocidae• Grow up to 15 cm• Distribution: Central &
South America; Belize & Honduras
• Lives in rivers and creeks with high velocity currents
• Feeding Habits: fish, fish scales, & aquatic insects
Burro GruntScientific Name: Pomadasys crocro
Family Name: Haeumildae• Grow up to 38 cm
• Habitat: Freshwater, Brackish, Marine
• Distribution: Western Atlantic, southern Florida, Gulf of Mexico & throughout the Caribbean Sea southward to Brazil
• Lives in rivers and creeks of low to high current velocity. Found along sandy shores & over mud bottoms in shallow water, common in brackish mangrove-lined lagoons
• Feeding Habits: Eats Crustaceans & small fish
Belize Anchovy Scientific Name: Anchoa mitchilli
Family Name: Engraulididae• Grow to 5.8 cm• Distribution: Central America, Belize & Guatemala• Feeding Habits: prey on invertebrates
Atlantic sabretooth anchovyScientific Name: Lycengraulis
grossidens Family Name: Engraulidae
• Grow to 23 ½ cm• Habitat: Freshwater,
Brackish, Marine• Distribution: Western
Atlantic; Belize, Venezuela & the Amazon
• Feeding Habits: Eats mainly small fish & various crustaceans