American Eel
Scientific Name
:
Auguilla rostrata
Family: Anguillidae
*Grow up to 5 ft.
*Lives for up to years.
*Distribution: America, Greenland, Canada, USA, West Indies,
Trinidad
*Lives in permanent streams with continuous flow, hides during day
*Feeding Habits: Benthic Larvae , Crustaceans & Fish
*Breeding Habits: Migrate to Sargasso Sea in Autumn

Bull Shark
Scientific Name: Carcharhinus leucas
Family Name: Carcharhinidae
• Grow up to 11 ½ ft.
• Avg. Age: 32 Yrs
• Habitat: Fresh, Brackish,Salt
• Distribution: Warm Oceans,
Lakes, Rivers. USA, Brazil,
Morocco, Africa, India,
Australia
• Inhabitants shallow waters, swims far up-river. Found near estuaries.
• Feeding Habits: Bony Fish, other Sharks, Rays, Crabs,
Squid, occasionally Garbage
• Most Dangerous Trop. Shark
• Live Birth

•
Tarpon
Scientific Name: Megalops atlanticus
Family: Megalopidae
• Grows up to 8 ft
• Habitat: Fresh, Brackish, Marine-Mangrove, Coastal, Estuaries
• Distribution: Portugal, USA, Brazil, Panama, America, Canada
• Lives in schools
• Feeding Habits: Eats Fish-Sardines, Anchovies
• Can live in oxygen poor waters
• Game Fish: Largest on Record 238 lbs!!

Southern PlatyFish
Scientific Name: Xiphophorus maculatus
Family Name: Cyprinodontimformes
• Grows up to 6 cm
• Distribution: The Americas; from Mexico to N. Belize
• Habitat: Lives in warm springs, canals, & ditches in slow-moving water, silt bottoms and weedy banks
• Feeding Habits: Worms, Crustacean, & Insects
• Live Bearer

Jack Dempsey
Scientific Name: Cichlasoma octofasciatum
Family: Cichlidae
*Grow up to 25 cm
*Distribution: N. & C. America; southern Mexico to Honduras
*Lives in wetland areas with warm, murky water.
*Found in weedy, mud-bottomed and sand-bottomed canals.
*Prefers coastal plains & slow moving waters of lower river valleys.
*Feeds on worms, benthics and fish.

Southern Checkmark Cichlid
Scientific Name: Vieja godmanni
Family: Cichlidae
* Inhabits rivers and streams
*Prefers fast flowing, cooler waters, such as mountain runoffs.
*Feeding Habits: Omnivorous-specialized in fresh vegetation

Blue-Eye Cichlid
Scientific Name: Cichlisoma spilurum
Family: Cichlidae
* Small Species: Grow up to 12 cm.
*Habitat: from lowland swamps or wetlands to cool mountain streams.

Firemouth Cichlid
Scientific Name: Cichlisoma meeki
Family: Cichlidae
*Grow up to around 4 ft.
*One of the most abundant Cichlids.
*Relatively a deep-bodied species with a triangular head
*Studies have shown that the eyespots on the opercle makes the fish look larger when flared

Mayan Cichlid
Scientific Name: Cichlasoma urophthalmus
Family: Cichlidae
* Grow up to 20 cm.
*Most common in low-lying coastal areas.
*Large predatory cichlid
*Tolerant of saltwater & have been found breeding there.
*Studies show, species grows quicker in saltwater

Redhead Cichlid
Scientific Name: Cichlasoma synspilum
Family: Cichlidae
* Females grow up to 17 cm, Males are usually larger.
*Confused with the Maculicuada because of body shape & coloration.
*Feeding Habits: Omnivorous, prone more to vegetation.

Yellowjacket Cichlid
Scientific Name: Cichlasoma friedrichstali
Family: Cichlidae
* Grow up to 15 ½ cm
*One of the largest Belize Cichlids.
*One of the most Distinct Cichlids-Large Mouth, Brassy Yellow
Color

Bay Snook
Scientific name: Petinia splendida
Family: Cichlidae
•Can grow to 30 cm
•Feeding Habits: feeds on other fish
•In Belize it is used for food & as a game fish.

Swordspine Snook
Scientific Name: Centropomus ensiferus
Family Name: Perciformes
• Can grow up to 36 cm
• Distribution: Western Atlantic & Continental coasts of Central and South America
• Habitat: Freshwater, Brackish, Marine
• Lives mainly in coastal waters, estuaries and lagoons, prefers freshwater. Found over soft bottoms
• Feeding Habits: Small fish and crustacean

Mexican Snook
Scientific Name: Centropomus poeyi
Family Name: Perciformes
• Grow up to 90 cm
• Habitat: Freshwater, brackish, Marine
• Distribution: Mexico to Belize
• Lives in coastal waters, estuaries and lagoons
• Spawning occurs in fresh or low-brackish waters
• Feeding Habits: Fish and Crustaceans
• Gamefish

Nile Talipia
Scientific Name: Oreochromis niloticus niloticus
Family Name: Perciformes
• Grow up to 60 cm
• Habitat: Freshwater & Brackish
• Distribution: Africa; coastal waters of Israel; Nile,
Introduced species to Belize
• Adverse ecological impacts have been reported
• Lives in wide variety of freshwater habitats; rivers, lakes, sewage canals, etc.
• Mainly diurnal
• Feeding Habits: Phytoplankton or benthic algae
• Food Fish

Atlantic Thread Herring
Scientific Name: Opisthonema oglinun
Family Name: Clupeidae
• Lives in Mangrove channels
• Feeding habits: Filters plankton (Copepods) & also takes in small fish and crabs.
• Distribution: Central
Atlantic, from Chesapeake
Bay to Brazil (Belize)

Thread Fin Shad
Scientific Name: Dorsoma pretenense
Family: Clupeidae
* Can grow up to 18 cm.
*Feeding Habits: Eats plankton but when scarce it will find something else
*Spawn in schools early in the morning in shallow water near brush, logs, or plants to minimize predation of eggs
*Eggs adhesive

Machaca
Native Name: Macabil
Scientific Name: Brycon guatemalensis
Family: Characidae
• Grow up to 59 cm
• Central America: From
Grijalva River, Mexico to E.
Panama; in the Pacific slope, only in Choluteca River basin of Honduras.
• Found in lakes, rivers & streams between 0 & 600 m elevation.
• The young feed on terrestrial & aquatic insects, leaves, fruits and seeds.
• Adults mainly herbivorous
• Eggs are deposited in nests located in sand bottoms of streams

Spinycheek Sleeper
Scientific Name: Eleotris pisonis
Family Name: Eleotridae
• Grow to 25 cm
• Distribution: Bermuda, Bahamas,
Gulf of Mexico, Central America,
Brazil
• Lives in shallow muddy waters or sandy bottoms
• Feeding Habits: dipteran larvae
& pupae, crustaceans, such as crabs, & even small fish

Bigmouth Sleeper
Scientific Name: Gobiomorus dormitor
Family: Eleotridae
*Grow up to 60 cm
*Distribution: U.S.; southern Florida & southern Texas to eastern
Brazil, Africa; Macias Nguema (Fernando Po).
*Adults live in fresh water-Well Inland.
*Inhabits larger free flowing clear water streams
*Lies mostly on the bottom in slower moving part of streams
*Carnivores and Benthivores
*Relies on its sluggish behavior & cryptic coloration to capture crustaceans and fish.

River Goby
Scientific Name: Awaous banana
Family Name: Gobiidae
• Grow up to 30 cm
• Habitat: Fresh, brackish, clear streams & rivers, but also in muddy turbid waters, Prefers well oxygenated water
• Feeding Habits: Mainly filamentous Algae

Lyre Goby
Scientific Name: Evorthodus lyricus
Family Name: Gobiidae
• Grow to 15 cm
• Distribution: From
Chesapeake Bay, USA to the
Northern Gulf of Mexico, continuing to the Northern parts of South America
• Occurs mainly in muddy backwaters, often in foul waters

Crested Goby
Scientific Name: Lophogobius cyprinoides
Family Name: Gobiidae
• Grow to 10 cm
• Habitat: Freshwater, Brackish & Marine
• Distribution: Western Atlantic, Bermuda, Florida (USA), to
Central and South America
• Lives in tidal creeks, mangroves & other quite, fresh to fully saline waters

Banded Astyanx
Scientific Name: Astyanax aneus
Family: Characidae
*Grow up to 10 cm
* Distribution: North, Central & South America, & most freshwater basins from Mexico to Argentina.
*Inhabits: Slow-moving streams & rivers and lentic areas.
*Vivacious, eats small fish & will bite pieces of meat.

Mountain Mullet
Scientific Name: Agonostomus monticola
Family: Mugilidae
*Grow up to 5 ½ cm
* Distribution: North America; North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana & Texas,
U.S., to Colombia & Venezuela, including the West Indies.
*Adults live in freshwater rivers & streams. .
*Only mullet that swims far inland and spends all its adult life in freshwater.
*Tends solitary in upper streams, but form uneven schools in larger streams at lower elevations

Bobo Mullet
Scientific Name:Joturus pichardi
Family Name: Mugildae
• Grow up to 61 cm
• Max Weight Recorded: 3,250 g
• Habitat: Freshwater, Brackish,
Marine
• Distribution: Central America;
Mexico to Panama, Florida & the
Wet Indies
• Adults live in upper reaches of rivers but enter brackish water when spawning
• Important food fish in some areas
• Feeding Habits: Herbivores, scrapes algae from rocks with its fleshy lips, although sometimes eats prawn
.

Shortfin Molly
Scientific Name: Poecilia mexicana
Family: Poeciliidae
* Grow up to 9 ½ cm
*Considerable variation in size among the various populations.
*Mainly feeds on detritus- Feeds in fast water too.
*Found in still or slow moving water & even on bottom

*Bottom Feeder
*Effective Camouflage
*Hides in vegetation & behind rocks
*Opportunistic feeder

Mayan Sea Catfish
Scientific Name: Hexanematichthys Assimilis
Family Name: Ariidae
• Grow up to 32 cm
• Habitat: Marine, Freshwater, Brackish
• Distribution: Central America, Belize River basin
• Gamefish & Foodfish

Topminnow
Scientific Name: Belonesox belizanus
Family Name: Poeciliidae
• Grow up to 14 cm
• Habitat: Mostly Freshwater
& sometimes Brackish
• Distribution: North & Central
America
• Live Bearers
• Lives in weedy canals & tolerates poorly oxygenated waters
• Formerly used in medical research

Green Swordtail
Scientific Name: Xiphophorus hellerii
Family Name: Poeciliidae
• Grow up to 14 cm
• Habitat: Freshwater, Brackish, pH range 7.0-8.0
• Distribution: North & Central
America, & in parts of Africa
• Live Bearers
• Live mainly in rapidly flowing streams & rivers, preferring heavily vegetated habitats.
Occur in warm springs & their effluents, weedy canals & ponds
• Feeding Habits: Eat worms, insects, crustacean & plant matter

Dogtooth Rivulus
Scientific Name: Rivulus tenuis
Family Name: Rivulidae
• Grow up to 6 ½ cm
• Distribution: Central America; Guatemala, Mexico, Found in
Lowland areas across Belize
• Aquarium Fish
• Lives in Freshwater only
• Hide in vegetation at water’s edge

Clingfish
Scientific Name: Gobisox nudus
Family Name: Gobiesocidae
• Grow up to 15 cm
• Distribution: Central & South
America; Belize & Honduras
• Lives in rivers and creeks with high velocity currents
• Feeding Habits: fish, fish scales, & aquatic insects

Burro Grunt
Scientific Name: Pomadasys crocro
Family Name: Haeumildae
• Grow up to 38 cm
• Habitat: Freshwater,
Brackish, Marine
• Distribution: Western
Atlantic, southern Florida,
Gulf of Mexico & throughout the Caribbean Sea southward to Brazil
• Lives in rivers and creeks of low to high current velocity.
Found along sandy shores & over mud bottoms in shallow water, common in brackish mangrove-lined lagoons
• Feeding Habits: Eats
Crustaceans & small fish

Belize Anchovy
Scientific Name: Anchoa mitchilli
Family Name: Engraulididae
• Grow to 5.8 cm
• Distribution: Central America, Belize & Guatemala
• Feeding Habits: prey on invertebrates

Atlantic sabretooth anchovy
Scientific Name: Lycengraulis grossidens
Family Name: Engraulidae
• Grow to 23 ½ cm
• Habitat: Freshwater,
Brackish, Marine
• Distribution: Western
Atlantic; Belize, Venezuela & the Amazon
• Feeding Habits: Eats mainly small fish & various crustaceans