Bowfins were recently split into two species: ruddy and eyetail. Eyetail bowfin inhabit a larger range, encompassing the Mississippi River and Great Lakes drainages, as well as the east coast north of Chesapeake Bay, whereas the ruddy bowfin inhabits coastal drainages from Mississippi through North Carolina into southern Virginia.

Ruddy bowfin lack the eye-like spot at the base of the tail that gives the eyetail bowfin its name. Male ruddy bowfin do not change color uring the spawn like eyetail bowfin do. Aside from these differences the ruddy bowfin strongly resembles the eyetail bowfin in apperance.

The habitat of the ruddy bowfin is similar to that of the eyetail bowfin, with the addition of cypress swamps being prime locations for ruddy bowfin which are usually not available to their northern counterparts.