Vert Zoology Freshwater Fish Families

Petromyzontidae

Lampreys (no jaws, paired fins or bones, circular mouth with rasping teeth)

Myxinidae

Hagfishes (paired nostrils, no vertebrae, barbels around terminal mouth, known for slime)

Carcharhinidae

Requiem shark (spiny dogfish sharks, atlantic sharpnose shark)

Lamnidae

Mackerel sharks (great white) (33 years to sexual maturity for females, ovoviviparous)

Dasyatidae

stingrays (viviparous whiplike tails with venomous spines)

Rajidae

skates (oviparous, elongate but thick tail stalk with two dorsal fins and terminal caudal fin, eggs in mermaids purse)

Rhinobatidae

Guitarfish (ray shark)

Torpedodenidae

Torpedo ray (electric rays)

Chimaeridae

ratfish (chimaera)

Acipenseridae

sturgeons (heterocercal tail, shovel snout, large fleshy barbels, ganoid scales incomplete, cartilaginous skeleton, bony scutes on head)

Polyodontidae

paddlefish (heterocercal tail, long paddle shaped snout (rostrum), no bony plates)

Lepisosteidae

gars (long toothed jaws, diamond-shaped non-overlapping ganoid scales, dorsal and anal fins far back on body, abbreviated heterocercal tail, bony skeleton, can swallow air from surface)

Amiidae

bowfins (primitive, heterocercal tail, lung-like gas bladder, one long dorsal fin)

Anguillidae

freshwater eels (no pelvic fins, very small scales, catadromous)

Esocidae

Pikes (torpedo shaped body, predatory jaws, small cycloid scales, forked caudal fin)

Leuciscidae

minnows, shiners, stonerollers, dace, chubs (one dorsal fin, abdominal pelvic fins, cycloid scales, lateral line, terminal mouth, high pointed/angular dorsal fin, forked caudal fin, pharyngeal teeth)

Catostomidae

Alabama hogsucker (suckers, large thick lips, ventral mouth, one dorsal fin, no scales on head, forked tail, anal fin well behind dorsal fin)

Ictaluridae

Bullhead catfishes (four pairs of barbels, no scales, adipose fin, bottom dwelling)

Aphrendoderidae

Pirate perch (one dorsal fin, anus just behind mouth in adults, square caudal fin)

Fundulidae

Topminnows and killifishes (flattened head and mouth, square caudal fin)

Poeciliidae

Mosquitofish (livebearers, head flattened, upturned mouth, no lateral line, in males front rays of anal fin elongated into gonopodium, females have dark spot on side, small rounded dorsal fin)

Atherinopsidae (Atherinidae)

silversides (small and silvery, long snout, no lateral line, terminal mouth, two widely separated dorsal fins, first dorsal fin is small with spines, forked caudal fins)

Cottidae

sculpins (large mouth, large fan like pectoral fins, no or few scales, two joined or narrowly separated dorsal fins, long anal fin, 1-4 pre-opercular spines)

Elassomatidae

Pygmy sunfishes (no lateral line, round caudal fin, smaller than centrarchids, upturned mouth with distinctly protruding lower jaw, 1-2 large black spots above pectoral fin)

Centrarchidae

sunfishes, basses, and crappies (laterally compressed, pelvic fin under pectoral fin, two dorsal fins, second fin has rays so broadly joined it appears to be one fin)

Percidae

darters, logperches, perches, walleye, sauger (two distinct dorsal fins, pelvic fins under pectoral fins, ctenoid scales, large pectoral fins)

Salmonidae

trout (small rounded adipose fin, no scales on head)