774 articles
Alopias pelagicus
Alopias pelagicus, the pelagic thresher shark (Nakamura 1935), an Endangered Indo-Pacific thresher with a tail nearly as long as its body, two pups per litter, and slow growth; distinct from A. vulpinus and A. superciliosus.
Alopias superciliosus
Alopias superciliosus, the bigeye thresher shark (tiburón zorro ojón), a large pelagic Alopiidae shark with helmet-like head grooves and upward eyes; Vulnerable IUCN, declining 30–49% over three generations, CITES Appendix II.
Alosa aestivalis
Alosa aestivalis, the blueback herring (alose d'été), is an anadromous Atlantic herring from Nova Scotia to Florida, one of two "river herring" with the alewife; distinguished by a black peritoneum, IUCN Vulnerable, ESA listing not warranted in 2019.
Alosa alosa
Alosa alosa, the allis shad, is an anadromous Alosidae herring of the northeast Atlantic from Norway to Morocco, distinguished from twaite shad by 85-155 gill rakers; now IUCN Critically Endangered after range collapse.
Alosa fallax
Alosa fallax, the twaite shad (alose feinte, cheppia), is an anadromous clupeid fish from Iceland to the Black Sea; globally Least Concern but Vulnerable in Spain and Italy, threatened by river barriers, pollution, and overfishing.
Alosa sapidissima
Alosa sapidissima, the American shad (alose savoureuse), an anadromous herring native from Labrador to Florida, introduced to the Pacific in 1871; Atlantic stocks depleted, Columbia River runs 2-4 million adults yearly.
Amberjack
Amberjack, large predatory jacks of the genus Seriola (Carangidae), including greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) and farmed Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata), a sashimi staple and Japan's most cultured marine finfish.
Ambloplites rupestris
Ambloplites rupestris, the rock bass or goggle-eye, is a North American freshwater sunfish (Centrarchidae) with 5-7 anal spines, a red eye, and rock-and-gravel stream habitat; males guard nests, IUCN Least Concern.
Ameiurus melas
Ameiurus melas, the black bullhead (synonym Ictalurus melas), is a North American ictalurid catfish native from the Great Lakes to northern Mexico, invasive in Europe, identified by dark chin barbels, no mottling, and weak pectoral-spine serrae.
Ameiurus nebulosus
Ameiurus nebulosus, the brown bullhead (barbotte brune), is a North American ictalurid catfish with mottled sides, 5-8 pectoral spine teeth, and a notched tail, native from Nova Scotia to Louisiana and widely introduced to Europe, California, and New Zealand.
American eel
American eel (Anguilla rostrata), the only North American freshwater eel, a catadromous fish spawning in the Sargasso Sea; IUCN Endangered, depleted US stock, Canada declined SARA listing in 2025.
American paddlefish
American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula, spoonbill catfish): the last surviving paddlefish species, a large filter-feeding freshwater fish of the Mississippi basin with a paddle-shaped electrosensory rostrum; IUCN Vulnerable, Chinese paddlefish extinct 2020.
Ammodytes personatus
Ammodytes personatus, the Pacific sand lance, is a small burrowing forage fish of the North Pacific from Japan to Alaska. It lacks a swim bladder, estivates in summer, feeds on copepods, and is key prey for salmon, seabirds, and marine mammals.
Ammodytes tobianus
Ammodytes tobianus, the small sandeel or lesser sand eel, is a 20 cm sand lance of northeast Atlantic sandy shores from Murmansk to Spain, spawning in spring and autumn races and burying in sand.
Anabas testudineus
Anabas testudineus, the climbing perch (also called climbing bass, ikan betok), is an air-breathing anabantid fish native to tropical Asia, growing to 25 cm, able to walk on land and survive days out of water, farmed as food and studied for mucus peptides.
Anchovies as food
Anchovies as food: small Engraulidae fish (Engraulis encrasicolus, E. mordax) eaten fresh or salt-cured, oil-packed, or pickled; protein- and omega-3-rich but very high sodium when cured, used in Caesar dressing, garum, and Korean fish sauce.
Anchovy
Anchovy, family Engraulidae (Engraulis species), small schooling forage fish; Peruvian anchoveta supports the world's largest single-species fishery, 5.3 million tonnes caught in 2023, also salt-cured food and fishmeal source.
Ancyrodella
Ancyrodella, Ulrich and Bassler 1926, an extinct Frasnian (Late Devonian) conodont genus; A. rotundiloba defines the Frasnian GSSP base, 17 species in Klapper's 2021 revision, extinct at the Upper Kellwasser event.
Ancyrognathus
Ancyrognathus is an extinct Late Devonian conodont genus (Branson & Mehl, 1934; type species A. symmetricus) in family Polygnathidae, used as a Frasnian-Famennian index fossil; Klapper's 1990 revision recognized fifteen Frasnian species.
Anglerfish
Anglerfishes (Lophiiformes) are marine ray-finned fishes that attract prey with a lure, a dorsal-fin spine modified into a baited stalk; about 325 species live from shallow seas to the deep ocean.
Angling
Angling is a global leisure activity practiced in coastal and inland waters, attracting an estimated 300 million participants yearly and generating at least $47 billion in expenditure.
Anguillidae
Anguillidae is a family within the order Anguilliformes. The genus Anguilla contains about 20 species distributed in tropical and temperate zones, completing their life cycle at sea.
Annea
Annea: extinct genus of small Jurassic orectolobiform sharks known from tiny keeled teeth (A. carinata, A. maubeugei), and a 2013 homonymous genus of two tropical African legume species formerly in Hymenostegia.
Anostomidae
Anostomidae, known as headstanders or piaus, is a family of Neotropical freshwater fish, the second largest family in the order Characiformes, with about 150 species.
Aphanopus carbo
Aphanopus carbo, the black scabbardfish (peixe-espada-preto), is an elongated bathypelagic cutlassfish (Trichiuridae) of the North Atlantic at 200–2,300 m, basis of the Madeira longline fishery, heavily infected with Anisakis larvae, and nearly indistinguishable externally from A. intermedius.
Apogonidae
Apogonidae, the cardinalfishes, is a large family of small nocturnal reef fishes, about 40 genera and 367 species, marked by two separate dorsal fins and paternal mouthbrooding.
Aqua Forest
Aqua Forest names several aquarium entities: a public aquarium and pet store (아쿠아코랄리프) in Yeongtong, Suwon, Korea; the Amazon-themed freshwater exhibit at Aqua Planet Yeosu; Aqua Forest Aquarium in San Francisco; Tokyo AQUA FOREST fish shops; and an Aquaforest supply brand.
Aquarium
Акваријум, the Serbian word for aquarium, is a transparent tank, usually of glass, in which aquatic animals and plants are kept for display, study, or pleasure.
Arapaima
Arapaima (Arapaima gigas), pirarucu or paiche, a giant Amazonian air-breathing freshwater fish up to 200 kg and 3 m, breathing via a lung-like swim bladder; CITES-listed since 1975.
Arapaima gigas
Arapaima gigas (pirarucu, paiche), a giant Amazonian osteoglossiform fish up to 3 m and 200 kg; obligate air breather using a lung-like swim bladder, CITES Appendix II, IUCN Data Deficient, farmed for fast growth.