List of freshwater fish of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated close to the southern tip of India. It is situated in the middle of Indian Ocean. Because of being an island, Sri Lanka has many endemic freshwater fauna, including fish, crabs, molluscs, and other aquatic insects.

Species List Class: Actinopterygii

Freshwater fish are physiologically differ from marine and brackish water forms. The low salinity and high osmotic pressure makes them so different. Few fish can be found in all three ecological systems.

There are 95 species of freshwater fish occur in the country, where 53 of those are endemic. 41% of all known species of fish of Sri Lanka are found in freshwater. There are about 70% of endemism of those fish. Most of them are listed into IUCN categories. Four Devario species were described in 2017 by Batuwita et al. However, the taxonomy and descriptions were cited as problematic by fellow local ichthyologists.

Note: introduced species are not included in the list. Go to List of introduced fish in Sri Lanka.

Freshwater eels Order: Anguilliformes. Family: Anguillidae

There are 19 species and 6 subspecies in this family are all in genus Anguilla. Sri Lanka is home for 2 freshwater eels.

Name Binomial StatusMottled EelAnguilla nebulosaShortfin EelAnguilla bicolor

Carps and allies Order: Cypriniformes. Family: Cyprinidae About over 320 genera, and more than 3,250 species are included in this family. 52 species found in Sri Lanka.

Common name Binomial StatusAttentive carpletAmblypharyngodon melettinusSinhala barbDawkinsia singhala endemicBlotched filamentous barbDawkinsia srilankensis endemicGiant danioDevario aequipinnatusDevario annnataliaeproblematic taxonMalabar danioDevario malabaricusDevario micronemaproblematic taxonDevario monticolaproblematic taxonBarred danioDevario pathiranaDevario udeniiproblematic taxonIndian flying barbEsomus danricaFlying barbEsomus thermoicosCeylon LogsuckerGarra ceylonensis endemicPhilipps' GarraGarra phillipsi endemicGlow-light CarpletHoradandia atukoraliLabeo heladiva endemicGreen labeoLabeo fisheri endemicRed fin labeoLabeo lankae endemicKnuckles LaubucaLaubuca insularis endemicBlue LaubucaLaubuca lankensis endemicRuhuna LaubucaLaubuca ruhuna endemicVaruna LaubucaLaubuca varuna endemicScarlet banded barbPuntius amphibiusRed-side barbPuntius bimaculatusSwamp barbPuntius cholaLong-snouted barbPuntius dorsalisKamalika's barbPuntius kamalika endemicKelum's barbPuntius kelumi endemicCherry barbPuntius titteya endemicGreenstripe barbPuntius vitattusBandula barbPethia bandula endemicTwo-spot barbPethia cumingii endemicTic-tac-toe BarbPethia melanomaculata endemicBlack ruby barbPethia nigrofasciata endemicRed-fined BarbPethia reval endemicStoliczkae's barbPethia stoliczkanaTicto barbPethia tictoAmith's rasboraRasbora armitagei endemicCauvery rasboraRasbora caverii Slender rasboraRasbora daniconius endemicWilpita rasboraRasbora wilpita endemicRasboroides nigromarginatus endemicRasboroides pallidus endemicRasboroides rohani endemicPearly RasboraRasboroides vaterifloris endemicAsoka barbSystomus asoka endemicMartenstyn's barbSystomus martenstyni endemicSide-striped barbSystomus pleurotaenia endemicOlive barbSystomus saranaSystomus spilurus endemicTimbiri BarbSystomus timbiri endemicDeccan MahseerTor khudree

River loaches

Family: Balitoridae

Common name Binomial StatusBanded Mountain LoachAcanthocobitis urophthalma endemicHill country LoachSchistura madhavai endemicSpotback LoachSchistura notostigma nativeSchistura scripta endemic

True Loaches

Family: Cobitidae

Common name Binomial StatusSpotted loachLepidocephalichthys jonklaasi endemicCommon spiny loachLepidocephalichthys thermalis

Naked catfishes

Order: Siluriformes. Family: Bagridae

Name Binomial StatusDwarf catfishMystus ankuttaendemicGangetic mystusMystus cavasiusLong Whiskers catfishMystus gulioYellow catfishMystus keletiusStriped dwarf catfishMystus vittatus

Sheat catfishes

Family: Siluridae

Name Binomial StatusOmpok argestesEndemicButter catfishOmpok bimaculatusOmpok ceylonensisEndemicWallagoWallago attu

Airbreathing catfishes

Family: Clariidae

Name Binomial StatusWalking catfishClarias brachysomaendemic

Airsac catfishes

Family: Heteropneustidae

Name Binomial StatusAsian stinging catfishHeteropneustes fossilis

Swamp eels

Order: Synbranchiformes. Family: Synbranchidae

Name Binomial StatusLesser swamp eelMonopterus desilvaiBengal swamp eelOphisternon bengalense

Rivulines

Order: Cyprinodontiformes. Family: Aplocheilidae

Name Binomial StatusCeylon killifishAplocheilus dayiendemicDwarf panchaxAplocheilus parvusWerners killifishAplocheilus werneriendemic

Ricefish

Family: Adrianichthyidae

Name Binomial StatusSpotted ricefishOryzias carnaticusIndian ricefishOryzias dancena

Cichlids

Order: Perciformes. Family: Cichlidae

Name Binomial StatusOrange chromideEtroplus maculatusGreen chromideEtroplus suratensis

Climbing perches

Family: Anabantidae

Name Binomial StatusClimbing perchAnabas testudineus

Gourami

Family: Osphronemidae

Name Binomial StatusCeylonese combtailBelontia signata endemicOrnate parasidefishMalpulutta kretseri endemicSpike-tailed paradisefishPseudosphromenus cupanus

Snakeheads

Family: Channidae

Name Binomial StatusGiant snakeheadChanna marulius Dwarf snakeheadChanna gachuaCeylon snakeheadChanna orientalis endemicSpotted snakeheadChanna punctataStriped snakeheadChanna striataChanna kelaartii

Garfishes

Family: Belonidae

Name Binomial StatusFreshwater garfishXenentodon cancila

Sleeper gobies

Family: Eleotridae

Name Binomial StatusCrazyfishButis butis Dusky sleeperEleotris fusca

Spiny eels

Family: Mastacembelidae

Name Binomial StatusTire track eelMastacembelus armatusSri Lanka spiny eelMacrognathus pentophthalmos

Gobies

Family: Gobiidae

Name Binomial StatusLarge snout gobyAwaous melanocephalusTank gobyGlossogobius giurisSharptail gobyOligolepis acutipennisRed neck gobySchismatogobius deraniyagalaiStone gobySicyopterus griseusRedtail gobySicyopterus lagocephalusLipstick gobySicyopus jonklaasi endemicMartenstyn's gobyStiphodon martenstyni endemic

References

External links https://web.archive.org/web/20150209130058/http://www.fish.lk/ http://www.environmentmin.gov.lk/web/images/pdf/freshwater%20fish.pdf http://slendemics.net/easl/fish/Endemic%20fish%20page.html