An amphidromous fish is a type of diadromous fish which migrates between fresh and saltwater. Unlike anadromous and catadromous fish, which migrate explicitly for the purposes of breeding, amphidromous fish migrate for other purposes. A typical cycle of amphidromy includes eggs hatching in freshwater or estuaries, larvae drifting out into the open ocean to feed … [Read more…]
Diadromous fish migrate between fresh and salt water. This term, coined by George S. Myers in 1949, refers to both anadromous and catadromous fishes. Diadromous life history strategies have evolved in numerous fish taxa. The complex life cycles do require complex osmoregulatory adaptation but the advantages of the given environments for specific life stages of … [Read more…]
A catadromous fish hatches and spawns in salt water but spends most of its life in fresh water. Catadromous life cycles are much less common than anadromous life cycles. American and European Eels (Anguilla rostrate and A. anguilla, respectively) are among the more famous fish that utilize this unusual migration pattern. They have a highly … [Read more…]
An anadromous fish hatches and spawns in fresh water but spends most of its life in the salt water. This dual life cycle allows the younger fish to grow and feed in the less perilous fresh water habitats (fewer predators in the smaller systems) and the older, larger fish to grow and feed in the marine … [Read more…]