A rheophile is an animal that prefers to live in fast-moving water.

Examples of rheophilic animals

Insects

*Many aquatic insects living in riffles require current to survive. *'' Epeorus sylvicola'', a rheophilic mayfly species ( Ephemeroptera) *Some African (''Elattoneura'') and Asian threadtail (''Prodasineura'') species

Birds

Dipper Dippers are members of the genus ''Cinclus'' in the bird family Cinclidae, so-called because of their bobbing or dipping movements. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater. Taxonomy The genus ''Cinclus'' ...

s (''Cinclus'') * Grey wagtail (''Motacilla cinerea'') and

mountain wagtail The mountain wagtail (''Motacilla clara''), also known as the long-tailed wagtail or grey-backed wagtail, is a species of wagtail of the family Motacillidae from sub-Saharan Africa. Description A slender, long tailed wagtail with light bluish gr ...

(''Motacilla clara'') *A few swifts often nest behind waterfalls, including

American black swift The American black swift, or more simply black swift (''Cypseloides niger''), is a species of bird that is found from northern British Columbia in Canada through the United States and Mexico to Costa Rica and Brazil. They are also found in the Ca ...

(''Cypseloides niger''),

giant swiftlet The giant swiftlet (''Hydrochous gigas''), also known as the waterfall swift, is a species of bird in the swift family, Apodidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Hydrochous''. It is found in Malaysia, Sumatra and Java, where its na ...

(''Hydrochous gigas''),

great dusky swift The great dusky swift (''Cypseloides senex'') is a species of bird in subfamily Cypseloidinae of the swift family Apodidae.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of ...

(''Cypseloides senex'') and

white-collared swift The white-collared swift (''Streptoprocne zonaris'') is a species of bird in subfamily Cypseloidinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Mexico, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, and every mainland South America country excep ...

(''Streptoprocne zonaris'') *Some waterfowl, including African black duck (''Anas sparsa''), blue duck (''Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos''), Brazilian merganser (''Mergus octosetaceus''), bronze-winged duck (''Speculanas specularis''), harlequin duck (''Histrionicus histrionicus''), Salvadori's teal (''Salvadorina waigiuensis'') and torrent duck (''Merganetta armata'')

Fish

A very large number of rheophilic fish species are known and include members of at least 419 genera in 60 families.Nathan K. Lujan and Kevin W. Conway (2015). "Life in the Fast Lane: A Review of Rheophily in Freshwater Fishes". Pp. 107–307 in: R. Riesch et al. (eds.). ''Extremophile Fishes''. Springer International Publishing, Switzerland. . Examples include: * Many species in the family Balitoridae, also known as the hill stream loaches. * Many species in the family Loricariidae from South and Central America * Many '' Chiloglanis'' species, which are freshwater

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

from Africa * The family Gyrinocheilidae. * Rheophilic cichlid genera/species: **The '' Lamena'' group in the genus '' Paretroplus'' from

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. **'' Oxylapia polli'' from Madagascar. **'' Retroculus'' species from the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Boli ...

and rivers in

the Guianas The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France ...

in South America. **'' Steatocranus'' species from the Congo River Basin in Africa. **'' Teleocichla'' species from the Amazon Basin in South America. **'' Teleogramma'' species from the Congo River Basin in Africa. *'' Mylesinus'', '' Myleus'', '' Ossubtus'', '' Tometes'' and '' Utiaritichthys'', which are serrasalmids from tropical South America * The Danube streber (''Zingel streber''), family Percidae.

Molluscs

*'' Ancylus fluviatilis'' *'' Aylacostoma'' species *''

Lymnaea ovata ''Ampullaceana balthica'' is a species of gastropods belonging to the family Lymnaeidae. The species is found in Eurasia. References Lymnaeidae Gastropods of Asia Gastropods of Europe Gastropods described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl L ...

Amphibians

*''

Neurergus strauchii ''Neurergus strauchii'', the Anatolia newt or Strauch's spotted newt, is one of five species of salamander in the genus ''Neurergus''. It is more specifically a newt, in the family Salamandridae, and is found only in Turkey. Its natural habitats ...

'', a newt from Turkey *''

Pachytriton labiatus ''Paramesotriton labiatus'' is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae. It is endemic to Guangxi, China. In literature prior to 2011, this species may have been confused with ''Paramesotriton chinensis'', ''Pachytriton granulosus'', or '' ...

'', a newt from China

References

Aquatic animals Freshwater ecology Rivers Water streams {{zoology-stub