Rheophile

A rheophile is an animal that prefers to live in fast-moving water.

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 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 (Zingel streber), family Percidae.

Molluscs

 * Ancylus fluviatilis
 * Aylacostoma species
 * Lymnaea ovata

Amphibians

 * Neurergus strauchii, a newt from Turkey
 * Pachytriton labiatus, a newt from China