Locations

Fish species in Iowa

156 species have two or more US observation records in Iowa. Explore their habitats, families, and local records.

156 species have two or more US observation records in Iowa. ITIS calls 52 of them native to the United States, 98 native to part of the country and introduced elsewhere, and 6 introduced.

Species: 156
Freshwater: 156
Saltwater: 9
Survey list: 111

1state

Iowa in the United States.

Two counts, two questions. 156 is the number of species observed in Iowa and filed with GBIF, which includes lakes, the coast, and museum records. 111 is the number the USGS stream survey caught, which samples flowing fresh water only. Neither is the other, so the site never adds them.

The statute

Iowa and the official state fish

Iowa recognises no official state fish. The legislature has named other state symbols and has not named a fish.

Most recorded

The fish of Iowa

The species with the most observation records in the state. It is the closest the open data comes to naming the fish people meet.

Bluegill3,061 records

Lepomis macrochirusCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Channel Catfish2,237 records

Ictalurus punctatusIctaluridaeNative and introducedFresh

Green Sunfish1,782 records

Lepomis cyanellusCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Largemouth Bass1,698 records

Micropterus salmoidesCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Creek Chub1,667 records

Semotilus atromaculatusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

White Sucker1,562 records

Catostomus commersoniiCatostomidaeNative and introducedFreshBrackish

Johnny Darter1,491 records

Etheostoma nigrumPercidaeNative and introducedFresh

Bluntnose Minnow1,484 records

Pimephales notatusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Smallmouth Bass1,441 records

Micropterus dolomieuCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Common Carp1,434 records

Cyprinus carpioCyprinidaeIntroducedFreshBrackish

Black Crappie1,378 records

Pomoxis nigromaculatusCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Bigmouth Shiner1,317 records

Notropis dorsalisLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Groups

Types of fish in Iowa

Species

All 156 species, A–Z

A

B

C

E

F

G

H

I

J

Johnny Darter Etheostoma nigrum

L

M

N

O

P

Q

Quillback Carpiodes cyprinus

R

S

T

W

Y

One record only

19 more with a single record

One observation can be a stray, an aquarium release, or a mis-keyed locality, so these are kept out of the count above and listed here instead. The first 19 are shown.