California Academy of Sciences, Water Planet Gallery

The Mossy Frog, Vietnamese Mossy Frog, or Tonkin Bug-eyed Frog (Theloderma corticale), is a species of frog in the Rhacophoridae family. It is found in Northern Vietnam and possibly China. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and rocky areas. It is a semi-aquatic, semi-arboreal species that is threatened by habitat loss. less ↑

Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, also known as the weedy seadragon or common seadragon, is a marine fish related to the seahorse. It is the only member of the genus Phyllopteryx. Adult weedy seadragons are a reddish colour, with yellow and purple markings; they have small leaf-like appendages that provide camouflage and a number of short spines for protection. Males have narrower bodies and are darker than females. Seadragons have a long dorsal fin along the back and small... less ↑

Phyllomedusa sauvagii, commonly known as the waxy monkey leaf frog, is a hylid frog belonging to the subfamily of South and Central American leaf frogs, Phyllomedusinae, that inhabits the Chaco (dry prairie) of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. The subfamily consists of around 50 species in three well-known genera, Phyllomedusa, Agalychnis, and Pachymedusa. The vast majority of known species, including Phyllomedusa sauvagei, belong to the genus Phyllomedusa. less ↑

Nothobranchius is a genus of small, freshwater annual fish from in the family Nothobranchiidae which was long included in the Aplocheilidae. They are mainly found in East Africa from Sudan to northern South Africa, but half a dozen species are found in the upper Congo River Basin and two species (N. rubroreticulatus and N. thierryi) are from west-central Africa. The greatest species richness is in Tanzania. Many species have very small distributions. There are many species:... less ↑

Ameca splendens, a bony fish from the monotypic genus Ameca of the splitfin family (Goodeidae), is commonly known as the Butterfly Goodeid or Butterfly Splitfin. It was formerly found throughout the Ameca River drainage in Mexico; the type locality is Rio Teuchitlán in the vicinity of Teuchitlán, Jalisco. The species was only ever found in an area about 10 miles (15 km) in diameter. less ↑

The yellow perch (Perca flavescens), commonly referred to as perch, is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill from New York. Yellow perch are closely related, and morphologically similar to the European perch (Perca fluviatilis); however, the two are recognized as independent species based on anatomical and genetic differences. Other common names for yellow perch include American perch, coontail, lake perch, raccoon... less ↑

Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8 million anglers targeting them per year. The popularity of channel catfish for food has contributed to the rapid growth of aquaculture of this species in the United States. less ↑

The smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus, from the Greek for "bull-fish" and "buffalo") is a Cypriniformes fish species found in the major tributaries and surrounding waters of the Mississippi River in the United States as well as some other water systems where it has been introduced. It is a stocky fish like its relatives the bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) and the black buffalo (Ictiobus niger), although the smallmouth buffalo's mouth is located ventrally like other Catostomidae species... less ↑

The spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) is a primitive freshwater fish of the family Lepisosteidae, native to North America from the Lake Erie and southern Lake Michigan drainages south through the Mississippi River basin to Gulf Slope drainages, from lower Apalachicola River in Florida to Nueces River in Texas, USA. It has a profusion of dark spots on its body, head, and fins. Spotted gar are long and have an elongated mouth with many teeth used to... less ↑

The longnose gar, Lepisosteus osseus, is a primitive ray-finned fish of the gar family. It is also known as the needlenose gar. L. osseus is found along the east coast of North and Central America in freshwater lakes and as far west as Kansas and Texas and southern New Mexico. The gar have been present in North America for about 100 million years. Predation is not a problem on adult longnose gar, but they are vulnerable... less ↑

The longear sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, is a freshwater fish in the sunfish family Centrarchidae of order Perciformes. It is native to the area of eastern North America stretching from the Great Lakes down to northeastern Mexico. The longear sunfish reaches a maximum recorded length of about 24 cm (9.5 in), with a maximum recorded weight of 790g (1.7 lb). Most do not live beyond six years. The longear sunfish is quite colorful, with an olive to... less ↑

The American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, also called the Mississippi paddlefish or spoonbill, is a paddlefish living in slow-flowing waters of the Mississippi River drainage system. It appears to have been extirpated from Lake Erie and its tributaries. They are closely related to the sturgeons. This large Chondrostean freshwater fish may grow to 220 cm (7 feet) and weigh up to 100 kg (220 pounds). The paddlefish takes its common and scientific names from its distinctive snout, which is greatly elongated... less ↑

The pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) is an endangered species of ray-finned fish, endemic to the waters of the Missouri and lower Mississippi River basins of the United States. Named for its pale coloration, the pallid sturgeon is closely related to the relatively common shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhyncus platorhynchus), but is much larger, averaging between 30 and 60 inches (760 and 1,500 mm) in length and 85 pounds (39 kg) in weight at maturity. The pallid sturgeon takes 15 years to mature and... less ↑

The shovelnose sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus platorynchus, is the smallest species of freshwater sturgeon native to the United States of America. It is often called "hackleback", "sand sturgeon", or "switchtail." Switchtail refers to the long filament found on the upper lobe of the caudal fin (often broken off as adults). Shovelnose sturgeon are the most abundant sturgeon, found in the Missouri River and Mississippi River systems, and the only commercially fished sturgeon in the United States of America... less ↑

Peters' elephantnose fish (Gnathonemus petersii; syn. Gnathonemus brevicaudatus Pellegrin, 1919, Mormyrus petersii Günther, 1862) is an elephantfish in the genus Gnathonemus. Other names in English include elephantnose fish, long-nosed elephant fish, and Ubangi mormyrid, after the Ubangi River. As the Latin name petersii confirms it is named after someone called "Peters" (probably Wilhelm Peters), although the apostrophe is often misplaced and the common name given as "Peter's elephantnose fish". less ↑

The glass catfish (Kryptopterus bicirrhis) is an Asian glass catfish of the genus Kryptopterus. Until 1989, it included its smaller relative the ghost catfish, now known as K. minor. Its scientific name and common name are often still used in the aquarium fish trade to refer to the ghost catfish; as it seems, the larger and more aggressive K. bicirrhis was only ever exported in insignificant numbers, if at all. less ↑

The Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) is a small tropical cardinalfish (family Apogonidae). It is the sole member of the genus Pterapogon, with the exception of Pterapogon mirifica. This attractive fish is popular in the aquarium trade. It is among the relatively few marine fish to have been bred regularly in captivity, but significant numbers are still captured in the wild and it is now an endangered species. less ↑

Gobiodon citrinus, the Poison Goby, is a species of goby native to the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea and the coast of Africa to the western Pacific Ocean to Japan, Samoa and the Great Barrier Reef. They are reef dwellers being found at depths of from 2 to 20 metres (6.6 to 66 ft) and in association with Acropora corals. The mucus produced by this fish is toxic. They grow to a length of 6.6 centimetres... less ↑

The three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is a fish native to most inland coastal waters north of 30°N. It has long been a subject of scientific study for many reasons. It shows great morphological variation throughout its range, ideal for questions about evolution and population genetics. Most populations are anadromous (they live in seawater but breed in freshwater or brackish water) and very tolerant of changes in salinity, a subject of interest to physiologists. It displays elaborate... less ↑

Neolamprologus is a genus of cichlids endemic to eastern Africa with all but one species, Neolamprologus devosi from the Malagarasi River, occurring in Lake Tanganyika. It is the largest genus of cichlids in Lake Tanganyika and also the largest genus in the tribe Lamprologini, which includes Altolamprologus, Chalinochromis, Julidochromis, Lamprologus, Lepidiolamprologus, Telmatochromis and Variabilichromis. The latter is a monotypic genus doubtfully distinct from Neolamprologus. less ↑