Texas Freshwater Fishes

Texas State University - San Marcos

Department of Biology

For a listing of freshwater fishes in Texas, please scroll down this page and click on the species or drainage link that you wish to view.

 
 

 

                                   To purchase

              Freshwater Fishes of Texas: A Field Guide :

                                                        

Bobby G. Whiteside, Timothy H. Bonner, and Chad Thomas                 

Photograph by Carolyn Whiteside                                    .

 

 

 

 

Permission is given for the use of text or photographs for non-commercial, educational, or scientific purposes. Please credit the following individuals and literature listed below.

 

Text by Carla Hassan-Williams and Timothy H. Bonner.  Photographs by Chad Thomas.

Texas State University-San Marcos

Biology Department / Aquatic Station 

 

 

The majority of images on this website are taken from

 Freshwater Fishes of Texas: A Field Guide

by

 Chad Thomas, Timothy H. Bonner, and Bobby G. Whiteside 

 Texas A&M Press 2007

 

 

Contact Texas A&M Press if interested in purchasing copyrighted photographs for commercial, non-educational, or non-scientific use. 

TAMU Press: For subrights and permissions, contact lls@tampress.tamu.edu .

 

 

 

 

Note:  Website updated daily.

Please revisit this site for additional information.  

 

Home Brazos River Canadian River Colorado River Guadalupe River Lavaca River

Neches River Nueces River Red River Rio Grande Sabine River San Jacinto River Trinity River

 

The following is a list of freshwater fishes in Texas.  Click on above links for drainage specific species listings. 

I = introduced; X = Likely extinct; EX = Likely extirpated in Texas; * = marine fishes sometimes found in rivers
 

Petromyzontidae

Ichthyomyzon castaneus   chestnut lamprey
  Ichthyomyzon gagei  southern brook lamprey
Acipenseridae Scaphirhynchus platorynchus  shovelnose sturgeon
Polyodontidae  Polyodon spathula  paddlefish
Lepisosteidae Atractosteus spatula  alligator gar
  Lepisosteus oculatus  spotted gar
  Lepisosteus osseus  longnose gar
  Lepisosteus platostomus  shortnose gar
Amiidae  Amia calva  bowfin
Hiodontidae  Hiodon alosoides  goldeye
Elopidae Elops saurus ladyfish *
Anguillidae  Anguilla rostrata  American eel
Clupeidae Alosa chrysochloris skipjack herring *
  Anchoa mitchilli bay anchovy *
  Brevoortia patronus Gulf menhaden *
  Dorosoma cepedianum  gizzard shad
  Dorosoma petenense  threadfin shad
Cyprinidae  Campostoma anomalum  central stoneroller
  Campostoma ornatum  Mexican stoneroller
  Carassius auratus  goldfish (I)
  Ctenopharyngodon idella   grass carp (I)
  Cyprinella lepida  plateau shiner
  Cyprinella lutrensis  red shiner
  Cyprinella lutrensis blairi Maravillas red shiner (X)
  Cyprinella proserpina  proserpine shiner
  Cyprinella sp. Nueces River shiner
  Cyprinella venusta  blacktail shiner
  Cyprinus carpio  common carp (I)
  Dionda argentosa  manantial roundnose minnow
  Dionda diaboli Devils River minnow
  Dionda episcopa  roundnose minnow
  Dionda nigrotaeniata  Guadalupe roundnose minnow
  Dionda serena  Nueces roundnose minnow
  Gila pandora Rio Grande chub
  Hybognathus amarus  Rio Grande silvery minnow (EX)
  Hybognathus hayi cypress minnow
  Hybognathus nuchalis  Mississippi silvery minnow
  Hybognathus placitus  plains minnow
  Hybopsis amnis  pallid shiner
  Luxilus chrysocephalus  striped shiner
  Lythrurus fumeus  ribbon shiner
  Lythrurus umbratilis  redfin shiner
  Macrhybopsis aestivalis  speckled chub
  Macrhybopsis australis  prairie chub
  Macrhybopsis hyostoma  shoal chub
  Macrhybopsis marconis  burrhead chub
  Macrhybopsis tetranema  peppered chub
  Macrhybopsis storeriana   silver chub
  Notemigonus crysoleucas  golden shiner
  Notropis amabilis  Texas shiner
  Notropis atherinoides  emerald shiner
  Notropis atrocaudalis  blackspot shiner
  Notropis bairdi  Red River shiner
  Notropis blennius river shiner
  Notropis braytoni  Tamaulipas shiner
  Notropis buccula  smalleye shiner
  Notropis buchanani  ghost shiner
  Notropis chalybaeus   ironcolor shiner
  Notropis chihuahua  Chihuahua shiner
  Notropis girardi  Arkansas River shiner
  Notropis jemezanus  Rio Grande shiner
  Notropis maculatus  taillight shiner
  Notropis orca phantom shiner (X)
  Notropis oxyrhynchus  sharpnose shiner
  Notropis potteri  chub shiner
  Notropis sabinae  Sabine shiner
  Notropis shumardi  silverband shiner
  Notropis simus simus Rio Grande bluntnose shiner (X)
  Notropis simus pecosensis Pecos bluntnose shiner (EX)
  Notropis stramineus  sand shiner
  Notropis texanus  weed shiner
  Notropis volucellus  mimic shiner
  Opsopoeodus emiliae  pugnose minnow
  Phenacobius mirabilis  suckermouth minnow
  Pimephales promelas  fathead minnow
  Pimephales vigilax  bullhead minnow
  Platygobio gracilis  flathead chub
  Pteronotropis hubbsi bluehead shiner
  Rhinichthys cataractae  longnose dace
  Semotilus atromaculatus  creek chub
  Scardinius erythrophthalmus rudd (I)
Catostomidae  Carpiodes carpio  river carpsucker
  Cycleptus elongatus  blue sucker
  Erimyzon oblongus creek chubsucker
  Erimyzon sucetta  lake chubsucker
  Ictiobus bubalus  smallmouth buffalo