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!!

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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