Teleost Fish (infraclass Teleostei, subclass Neopterygii, class Actinopterygii, superclass Osteichthyes, subphylum Verebrata, phylum Chordata, kingdom Animalia, domain Eukarya)
To most Americans, the word "fish" really means "teleost fish." This is the dominant infraclass of fish, and has been since the Cretaceous Period (144 to 65 million years ago). However, there are a number of ancient species of fish on the planet, such as the strange and rarely seen Coelacanth, which comprises its own subclass.
I saw most of them in a long, narrow pond joined to a creek and the water may have distorted their shape somewhat.
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| This Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) seemed to be swimming near or at the surface of the water in a stream in my Durham neighborhood on 6/25/05. Josh Rose provided this ID. | This Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrookii or G. affinis), appeared at the Seaforth Recreational Area, Chatham County, NC, at the edge of Jordan Lake. Josh Rose provided this ID. |
Rainbow Trout
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| Rainbow Trout, in Cedar Creek (running under the Natural Bridge), Rockbridge County, VA, 7/8/09 |
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| Rainbow Trout, Durham, 6/30/05, in the usual stream | Durham, 6/30/05 | Durham, 8/5/05 |
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| Durham, 7/5/05 | Durham, 7/12/05, probably same species as fish on the left. | Durham, 8/1/05. This fish had its mouth open. |
Catfish (Madtoms?)
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| I couldn't resist taking some artistic liberties with these catfish: image enhancement has made the colors totally unreal. Durham, 6/27/05. | This catfish was also in that stream. Josh Rose thinks it might be a Madtom (Noturus genus) |
Mystery Fish
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| This fish at the Francis Marion National Forest on 3/29/06 was seven or eight inches long. |
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| Fish,Charleston, SC, 3/27/06 |