For the past decade we have been tantalized by the unique nature of Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL), in particular, the area at and adjacent to Blue Heron Bridge, and so have documented the diversity of the fishes by maintaining a working list of species documented from the waters of LWL. As collection-based ichthyologists we have been taught, of course, to demand tangible proof of occurrence, either through curated museum specimens or by photographs. Even records from scientific papers are looked at with scrutiny because, believe it or not, not all fishery biologists are great at fish identification. Thus, we are kind of persnickety in wanting to personally verify identifications! [BTW, we’re not perfect either and sometimes have to change an ID, especially when a critter was not in hand (i.e. a photo) at time of initial identification.]

Surprisingly there are not very many specimens from LWL deposited in the collections of the Florida Museum of Natural History, a bit odd considering the location and historical importance of the area in fisheries. Most species occurring in LWL have been verified using photographs forwarded to the Museum and this web site was, in part, developed to encourage deposition of specimens and submission of photographic documentation of “missing” species. We include a list of potential species with the intention of fostering some interest in “filling in the holes” as common species often are photographically passed up in favor of the search for rarer species.

The species chosen as “potentials” obviously is subjective, but given the very special nature of this site – with shallow and deepwater fishes, soft- and hard-bottom inhabitants, and even some oceanic pelagics visiting the lagoon – we were a bit liberal in inclusion of species. However, since initial development of the list, a number of additional species not originally included – considered “stretches,” at best – have been photographed. Interestingly, there are a number of “no brainer” species that are known to be common LWL residents, but have not officially been documented. This suggests that the documented species list will continue to grow.

Hopefully the list will prove useful to photographers as it also serves as a defacto “life list” for each photographer shooting in the area. Because we are always happy to see (and post in the Image Gallery, if given permission) photos, especially those documenting different sexes, color phases, size classes, and behaviors, and as there’s always a “better shot,” please don’t feel disinclined to forward your shots just because others have already “checked off” the species. We’d love to see everyone’s initials after each species! I’ll update this list periodically – thanks for all your contributions.

The list is presented in taxonomic order, the standard scientific format, as a learning tool for more casual viewers – from this order one can appreciate evolutionary relationships. In this list LWL-documented species are marked as ‘verified’ and species potentially occurring in LWL but as yet undocumented by specimens or submitted photos remain un-marked. Contributing photographers are credited for each species they have documented using the acronyms below the table.

George Burgess, 1 June 2013