Fish That Start With W [Extensive Freshwater & Saltwater Fish Name List]

The letter W provides us with a number of ‘white’ titled fishes or fishes with white areas of their bodies or markings and a few unique new names, such as the Wallago, Wahoo, and Wobbegong.

Therefore, this post will undoubtedly provide you with some intriguing fish that start with W, which you’ll learn about in this article.

All the fish we’ll discuss in this post have both a scientific and a popular name, which we’ve included in brackets beside each fish kind.

Any creature’s scientific name is composed of a species and genus, with the fish’s genus acting as a last name with an uppercase initial letter and the fish’s species acting as the first name but with all small letters. If Joseph Corner were spelled out as a scientific name, it’d be Corner joseph.

With that said, let us get the ball rolling and do some justice to this post!

Three Popular Fish that Start with W

We chose three faves rather than five since the world of fish isn’t composed of lots of fish that start with W. Despite the fact that there are fewer, they compensate for that in pure awesomeness. We wish you a happy experience of knowing much more about the cichlid, tetra, and goby species we picked.

White-Cheek Goby (Rhinogobius wui)

The Goby white-cheek is a mischievous chappy fish that originated from Asia and is called the Rhinogoby, Red Throated Goby, or Hong Kong Goby. They seldom grow larger than two inches, making them ideal for personal aquariums. Also, they are quite temperature tolerant, so they might perform well in an enclosed cold water tank or a colder, subtropical environment.

Rhinogobius wui
Source: Dreamstime.com

Contingent on the water’s temperature, the Goby white-cheek can coexist happily alongside Microdevarios, Loaches, or Danios. A tropical fish would not normally like the White Cheek Goby’s relatively lower temperature needs, so it’s best not to keep these fish alongside them.

White Skirt Tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi)

This fish, also called Gold Widow Tetra, Gold Skirt Tetra, and White Tetra is in desperate need of a scientific designation. They are an excellent starting fish since they’re easily cared for and do not need large tanks to thrive in. They mature to become slightly two inches long when they finish growing.

shot of White Skirt Tetra in aquarium with plants in the background as one of fish that start with w

Tetras like to be kept in groups of a minimum of five to six others fishes of their species, as they often love the fine art of keeping each other companionship. This fast-moving, fin-nipping fish will do well in a tank containing other fast-moving species. They prefer heavily vegetated places for a measure of seclusion when they want it and lots of space for swimming.

White-Spotted Cichlid (Tropheus duboisi)

White-Spotted Cichlid is only found in Lake Tanganyika, the place where it lives in stony places deep underneath. Create robust cave-like formations with a sandy substrate and rocks to resemble the lake bottom to let your Tropheus duboisi feel at ease. They are renowned for changing their surroundings; thus, lots of aquarists prefer to leave cichlid tanks quite empty.

Tropheus duboisi in aquarium with stones and plants in the frame

Blanched spinach, nori, and spirulina flakes are perfect for Tropheus duboisi, but throw in several bits of frozen or live food now and again for a well-balanced meal. These fishes should not be kept with nervous or shy fish since they may be harassed. However, other cichlids of comparable diet and size will be a fine fit.

List of Fishes That Begin With W

Saltwater and freshwater fish that begin with the letter W are listed below, including some that you may well be familiar with and others that are somewhat more uncommon.

These fishes sound in the same way a motley gang of pirates would sound, with White Croaker, Warty Angler, and Warmouth all showing up on our listing of letter “W” fish titles. Also, you want to keep an eye out for one that you’d love!

Freshwater Fish Beginning With W

  • Wallago (Wallago attu)
  • Walking Catfish (Clarias batrachus)
  • Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus)
  • Walleye (Sander vitreus)
  • Weatherfish (Misgurnus fossilis)
  • Weather Loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus)
  • West African bichir (Polypterus retropinnis)
  • Werner’s panchax (Aplocheilus dayi werneri)
  • Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)
  • West Australian pygmy perch (Edelia vittata)
  • Whiptailed Banjo Catfish (Platystacus cotylephorus)
  • Whale Catfish (Helogenes marmoratus)
  • White Marlin (Kajikia albida)
  • White Knifefish (Orthosternarchus tamandua)
  • White Piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus)
  • White-Finned Synodontis (Synodontis caudovittatus)
  • White Spot Tetra (Aphyocharax paraguayensis)
  • Wimple (Myxocyprinus asiaticus)
  • White-Spotted Tropheus (Tropheus duboisi)
  • Wolf Fish (Hoplias malabaricus)
  • Wimple Piranha (Catoprion mento)
  • Wolff’s glassfish (Parambassis wolffii)
  • Wolf Tetra (Hydrocynus goliath)
  • Worm Eel (Myrichthys ocellatus)
  • Wolffish (Anarhichas denticulatus)

Saltwater Fish Beginning With W

  • Walleye Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus)
  • Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri)
  • Warty Angler (Brachionichthys hirsutus)
  • Walu (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum)
  • Waspfish (Snyderina yamanokami)
  • Waryfish (Scopelosaurus ahlstromi)
  • Weever (Echiichthys vipera)
  • Weasel Shark (Hemipristis elongatus)
  • Wels Catfish (Silurus glanis)
  • Whalefish (Barbourisia rufa)
  • Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)
  • White Croaker (Genyonemus lineatus)
  • Whiff (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis)
  • Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus)
  • White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
  • Wolf Eel (Anarrhichthys ocellatus)
  • Wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus)
  • Wolf Herring (Chirocentrus dorab)
  • Wrymouth (Cryptacanthodes maculatus)
  • Wrasse (Thalassoma lunare)

Conclusion

Because they start with the same letter as “wonderful,” all the fish in this post appear to be so. You may want to check out a neighborhood retail store to get some for your aquarium. And if you are starting, talk with a local fish expert to get an expert’s recommendation.

Kelly Stanley