Locations

Fish species in Virginia

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

319 species have two or more US observation records in Virginia. ITIS calls 183 of them native to the United States, 128 native to part of the country and introduced elsewhere, and 8 introduced.

Species: 319
Freshwater: 237
Saltwater: 110
Survey list: 163

1state

Virginia in the United States.

Two counts, two questions. 319 is the number of species observed in Virginia and filed with GBIF, which includes lakes, the coast, and museum records. 163 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

The official state fish of Virginia

Brook trout (freshwater)

Salvelinus fontinalis · named 2011

lis.virginia.gov

Striped bass (saltwater)

Morone saxatilis

A state fish is a statute, not a survey. It says which fish the legislature chose, not which fish is most common. The list above links each row to the state's own record.

Most recorded

The fish of Virginia

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

Bluegill1,868 records

Lepomis macrochirusCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Fantail Darter1,675 records

Etheostoma flabellarePercidaeNativeFresh

Bluehead Chub1,411 records

Nocomis leptocephalusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Redbreast Sunfish1,303 records

Lepomis auritusCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Tessellated Darter1,213 records

Etheostoma olmstediPercidaeNative and introducedFresh

Rosyside Dace1,196 records

Clinostomus funduloidesLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Eastern Blacknose Dace1,158 records

Rhinichthys atratulusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Mountain Redbelly Dace1,062 records

Chrosomus oreasLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Central Stoneroller985 records

Campostoma anomalumLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Creek Chub779 records

Semotilus atromaculatusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Smallmouth Bass725 records

Micropterus dolomieuCentrarchidaeNative and introducedFresh

Margined Madtom720 records

Noturus insignisIctaluridaeNative and introducedFresh

Groups

Types of fish in Virginia

Species

All 319 species, A–Z

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

Quillback Carpiodes cyprinus

S

T

V

W

Y

One record only

53 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 40 are shown.