A List of Common and Scientific Names of Fish


You’re probably familiar with different names of fish found in the fresh or marine waters of North America. But do you know the scientific name of salmon? Or that “trout” is called “char” in Canada? In this blog post, we will provide a comprehensive list of scientific names of fish. 

We will also discuss some interesting facts about this naming system and its importance. So whether you’re an experienced fisherman or just someone who enjoys learning about new things, you’ll love this blog. 

What Are the Scientific Names for Common Fish?

There are over 20,000 fish in the world, each with its scientific name. Here is a list of scientific names for common fish.

Common NameScientific Names
AlewifeAlosa pseudoharengus
AmberjackSeriola dumerili
Amberjack (yellowtail)Serola lalandi
American eelAnguilla rostrata
Arctic charSalvelinus alpinus
Arctic graylingThymallus arcticus
Atlantic cod (Baltic)Gadus morhua
Atlantic croaker
(Baltic)
Micropogonius
undulatus
Atlantic herringClupea harengus
Atlantic halibutHippoglossus
hippoglossus
Atlantic mackerelScomber scombrus
Atlantic menhadenBrevoortia tyrannus
Atlantic seasnail Liparis atlanticus
Atlantic salmonSalmo salar
Atlantic tomcodMicrogadus tomcod
Australian pilchardSardinops sagax
neopilchardus
AyuPlecoglossus altivelis
Baramundi perch Lates calcarifer
Bengal danio (sind) Devario devario
Betta Betta splendens
Bighead carp Aristichthys nobilis
Black bullhead Ameiurus melas
Black carp Mylopharyngodon piceus
Black seabream
(porgy)
Hypophthalmichthys
schlegeli
BleakAlburnus alburnus
Blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus
Blue tilapia Oreochromus aureus
Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus
Bream (common)Abramis brama
Brook troutSalvelinus fontinalis
Brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus
Brown-spotted grouper Epinephelus lovina
Brown trout Salmo trutta
Channel catfishIctalurus punctatus
Chinook salmonOncorhynchus tshawytscha
Chum salmonOncorhynchus keta
Coho salmonOncorhynchus kisutch
Common carpCyprinus carpio
Common minnow
(Eurasian)
Phoxinus phoxinus
Common shinerLulilus cornutus
Cutthroat troutOncorhynchus clarki
Dab (North Sea)Pleuronectus limanda
Damsel fish Chrysiptera sp.
Doctorfish Labroides dimidatus
Emerald shiner Notropis atherinoides
Estuarine grouper Epinephelus tauvina
European catfish (wels) Silurus glanis
European perchPerca fluviatilis
European flounder Platichthys flesus
European seabass Morone (Decentrarchus)
labrax
European smelt Osmerus eperlanus
European eel Anquilla anquilla
Fathead minnowPimephales promelas
Formosa snakehead Channa maculata
GouramiOsphronemus goramy
Gilthead seabream Sparus auratus
Gizzard shadDorosoma cepedianum
Glass knifefish Eigenmannia virescens
Gold sing wrasse Ctenolabrus rupestris
Golden shiner Notemigonus
crysoleucas
Goldfish (Crucian
carp)
Carassius auratus
Grass carpCtenopharyngodon
idella
Grayling Thymallus thymallus
Greenback flounder Rhombosolea tapirina
Gudgeon (topmouth)Gobio gobio
Gulf killifishFundulus grandis
Gulf menhaden Brevoortia patronus
Guppy Poecilia reticulata
Hardhead catfish Arius felis
Ide (Orfe) Leuciscus idus
Indian glassfishChanda ranga
Itipa mojarras Diapterus rhombeus
Japanese catfishSilurus asotus
Japanese eel Anguilla japonica
Japanese striped knife
jaw
Oplegnathus faciatus
Kelp (red) grouper Epinephelus moora
Lake sturgeon Acinpenser fulvescens
Lake trout Salvelinus namaycush
Macquarie perch Macquaria australasica
Masu (yamame, cherry
salmon)
Oncorynchus masou
Mozambique tilapiaOreochromis mossambicus
Mosquitofish Gambusia affinis
Mountain galaxias Galaxias olidus
MuskellungeEsox masquinongy
Neon tetra Paracheirodon innesi
Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus
Northern anchovy Engraulis mordax
Northern pikeEsox lucius
Olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus
Pacific codGadus macrocephalus
Pacific halibutHippoglosus stenolepis
Pacific herring Clupea pallasi
Pacific sardineSardinops sagax
Pacific white shrimpPenaeus vannamei
Pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus
Pearl danio Brachydanio albolineatus
PejerreyOdonthestes banariensis
Pinfish Lagodon rhomboides
Pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha
Plaice Pleuronectes platessa
Whitespotted
rabbitfish
Siganus canaliculatus
Rabbitfish Siganus rivulatus
Rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax
Rainbow troutOncorhynchus mykiss
Rare minnowGobiocypris rarus
Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus
Red seabream (Asia)Pagrus major
Red seabream (New
Zealand)
Chrysophrys major
Redfin perch
(European perch)
Perca fluviatilis
Roach Rutilus rutilus
RuddScardinius
erythrophthalmus
Sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria
Seabream Sparus aurata
Sea raven Hemitripterus americanus
Shiner perch Cymatogaster aggregata
Shorthorn sculpinMyoxocephalus scorpius
Shortnose sturgeonAcipenser brevirostrum
Shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus
Silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
Silver perch (North
America)
Bairdiella chrysoura
Silver perch (Australia)Bidyanus bidyanus
Silver seatrout Cynoscion nothus
Sockeye (kokanee) Oncorhynchus nerka
Snakehead (Chevron)Channa striata
Sole (Dover)Solea solea
Spotted grouper Epinephelus akaara
Striped bass Morone saxatilis
Striped jack (White
trevaly)
Caranx dentex
Striped mulletMugil cephalus
Striped snakehead Channa striata
Striped trumpeterLatris lineata
Tench Tinca tinca
TellinaTellina tenuis
Threespot gourami Trichogaster
trichopteru
Turbot Scophthalmus
maximus
Walking catfishClarias batrachus
Walleye Stizostedion vitreum
Western blue shrimp Penaeus stylirostris
White perchMorone americana
White bass Morone chrysops
White bream (silver) Blicca bioerkna
White catfish Ameiurus catus
Whitefish (ciscos) Coregonus spp.
White sturgeon Acipenser
transmontanus
White seabass Atractoscion nobilis
White suckerCatostoma
commersoni
Willow shinerGnathopogon
elongatus
Winter flounder Pleuronectus
americanus
Yellow bullhead Ameiurus natalis
Yellow perch Perca flavescens
Yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata
Zebra danio (zebrafish) Danio rerio

What Is the Importance of Scientific Names

You may be wondering why scientific names are so important. After all, common names are usually good enough, right? Wrong. Scientific names are essential for several reasons. 

First, when you use the scientific name, you can avoid confusion when referring to a specific type of fish. Second, they are international. This is important for four reasons: 

  • Since different countries have varying common names for the same species, using the scientific name of the fish ensures you are talking about the same species. 
  • Scientific names provide information about the history and classification of a particular plant or animal. This can be critical when you need to understand more about a particular species.
  • Using scientific names ensures consistency with the details about the fish. 

Another thing to consider is the type of fish. For instance, the scientific name of carp can vary:

  • Bighead carp is Aristichthys nobilis.
  • Black carp is Mylopharyngodon piceus.
  • Silver carp is Hypophthalmichthys molitrix.

Moreover, there are regional differences in the scientific naming of fish. Different countries have different generic name for the same fish. For example:

  • In the United States, anglers call it “trout,” whereas, in Canada, fishermen call the fish “char.”
  • If you are in Australia, you’ll refer to the “jobfish” as a “snapper.”
  • In the UK, fishers use “barracuda,” while in Ireland, they call it “sea pike.”

Expert insight: Any life form, including plants, has scientific names. 

What Is Binomal Naming System

In ichthyology, or the study of fish, the scientific community uses binomial nomenclature (or Latin nomenclature or Linnean nomenclature) to name species of living organisms.

Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus introduced binomial nomenclature in his book Systema Naturae. 

Under this naming system, each species has a two-part scientific name. The first part is the genus, and the second is the specific epithet. 

The scientific name is in italics, with the genus capitalized and the specific epithet lowercase. For example, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha is the scientific name of Chinook salmon. 

Tip: If you are writing common fish names, you need to spell them in lower case. For example, “Rainbow Trout” is incorrect; it should be “rainbow trout.” When you are referring to specific Salmon species like Chinook salmon, the first word is an adjective and thus you should capitalize it. When writing the scientific name, it is always necessary to include both the genus and specific epithet. 

While most fishes have Greek or Latin names, you’ll discover some scientific names are named after scientists who discovered the animal. For example, the electric eel is named after its discoverer, Carlo Linnaeus. The scientific name for this species is Electrophorus electricus. 

Other times, scientists names a fish after the place where they’ve discovered it. For example, the red-bellied piranha is found in the Orinoco River in South America. Its scientific name is Pygocentrus nattereri.

Why Is Binomial Nomenclature Important

The binomial nomenclature is widely used in biology because: 

  • It provides a universal language that scientists can understand worldwide. 
  • This system also helps to avoid confusion when referring to different species. For example, there are many kinds of “fish” in the world, but the binomial nomenclature helps to ensure that everyone is referring to the same thing.
  • The scientific name for a particular species can be beneficial when trying to find information about that species. For example, if you want to learn more about humans, you can search for “Homo sapiens” on the internet. This is much easier than trying to search for “humans.”

Conclusion

Whether you call them by their common names or scientific names, fish are an essential part of the ecosystem and provide humans with a delicious source of protein.

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