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

• Dippers (Cinclus)

• Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) and mountain wagtail (Motacilla clara)

• A few swifts often nest behind waterfalls, including American black swift (Cypseloides niger), giant swiftlet (Hydrochous gigas), great dusky swift (Cypseloides senex) and white-collared swift (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, including members of at least 419 genera in 60 families. 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 from Africa

• The family Gyrinocheilidae.

Rheophilic cichlid genera/species:

• The Lamena group in the genus Paretroplus from Madagascar.

• Oxylapia polli from Madagascar.

• Retroculus species from the Amazon Basin and rivers in the Guianas 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

Amphibians

• Neurergus strauchii, a newt from Turkey

• Pachytriton labiatus, a newt from China

• Cryptobranchus alleganensis, the hellbender.

See also

• Lotic ecosystem

References