Rheophile
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
- Some African and Asian threadtail species
Birds
- Dippers
- Grey wagtail and mountain wagtail
- A few swifts often nest behind waterfalls, including American black swift, giant swiftlet, great dusky swift and white-collared swift
- Some waterfowl, including African black duck, blue duck, Brazilian merganser, bronze-winged duck, harlequin duck, Salvadori's teal and torrent duck
Fish
A very large number of rheophilic fish species are known and include 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, 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.