Scientific

Scientific index for freshwater fish on AquaInfo!

Hi and welcome to the scientific index for freshwater fish on AquaInfo! On this page you will find a complete list of all fish families in our database. They are sorted alphabetically by their scientific name.

Why those tricky Latin names?

Those scientific names may seem a bit complicated, but they are super useful! They ensure that we are all talking about the same fish. A popular name, such as ‘Algae Eater’ or ‘Redhead Salmon’, can be used for all kinds of different fish. This often causes confusion.

The scientific name, on the other hand, is unique to one specific fish species, wherever you are in the world. This way, you can be sure that you will find the right information when you look something up!

How does this classification work?

The system we use is very old and actually makes a lot of sense. It divides all fish into large groups and then into smaller and smaller groups. Think of it as a kind of family tree. For hobbyists, these are the most important levels:

• Family: This is the ‘surname’ of the fish. It is a large group of fish that resemble each other. You can recognize a family name because it often ends in -idae, such as Cichlidae (Cichlids) or Poeciliidae (Livebearers).
• Genus: Within a family, there are different genera. This is the first part of the L