Freshwater Fishes of Texas: A Field Guide

About the Fish Descriptions

About the Fish Descriptions Habitat associations, life history information, physical characteristics, and other notes of interest are from published texts. A wealth of detailed ecological knowledge exists for many of the fishes described, but such information has been kept brief here to conform to the overall purpose and intent of this guide. For each species description the following sections are provided: NAME: Common and scientific names follow the taxonomic nomenclature rules of the American Fisheries Society found in Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, sixth edition (2004). The author(s) of the original species description and the year are listed next. Parentheses around the author and year indicate that the fish was originally described under another name. RANGE: The descriptions of species distribution list the major river drainages or areas where a species may be found and are based on reported occurrences in the referenced literature. The range maps display a more specific location within those drainages and areas where that particular fish may be found. The reader should keep in mind that there may be some inaccuracies as a result of localized extinctions and introductions. HABITAT: Places where a species may be found are indicated by macrohabitat (e.g., rivers, creeks, natural lakes and reservoirs, swamps, ditches, and bayous) and microhabitat (e.g., channels, pools, riffles, runs, backwaters, and undercut banks). CHARACTERISTICS: This list includes major external and some internal morphological features that may be used to help identify a particular species. The glossary provides definitions of these morphological features. DIMENSIONS: Maximum standard length and weight are given in English (inches and pounds) and metric units (centimeters and kilograms). The data  about the fish descriptions include expected upper limits of size but should not be taken as a reference for state or world record lengths and weights. FIN COUNTS: various fin ray counts may be used for identification. When available, an upper and lower range for each count is provided. Methodology for fin counts is provided in the section describing common counts and measurements of fishes. COLORATION: Colors for living specimens in nonbreeding condition are given for body regions (dorsal, lateral, and ventral) and fins. For some fishes there is a description of breeding colors. COMMENTS: Information in this category may include conservation status, unique or unusual life history traits, and characteristics that may distinguish particular species from similar looking species. Conservation status for fishes of Texas has been set by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TP&WD) and defines fish as being either (1) endangered—threatened with statewide extinction as determined by the executive director of TP&WD, or (2) threatened—likely to become endangered in the future as determined by the TP&WD Commission. ...