Bony Fish Diversity And Adaptations

Question 1

What are bony fish called?

Answer 1

Osteichthyes

Question 2

When did bony fish arise and how many species are alive today?

Answer 2

500 mya

30,000

Question 3

What percentage of bony fish are marine?

Answer 3

60%

Question 4

What are the features of Osteichthyes?

Answer 4

Skeleton made of bone 
Hinged jaw
Paired fins 
Scales 
Gills with operculum 
Ectothermic 
Lateral line

Question 5

What are the characteristics of the fins on ray-finned fish?

Answer 5

Their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines

Question 6

What percentage of the 30,000 species of bony fish do the ray finned fish make up?

Answer 6

99%

Question 7

What are the most dominant living fish and what percentage of all living fish do they make up?

Answer 7

Teleosts

96%

Question 8

How many species of teleosts are there?

Answer 8

24,000

Question 9

Do teleosts reproduce internally or externally?

Answer 9

Externally

Question 10

What are otoliths and what can they tell you about a fish?

Answer 10

Stony concretises situated in the ear system at the base of the brain

They carry a complete record of growth

Shape is species dependent

Question 11

What is the primary function of fish scales?

Answer 11

For protection

Question 12

What are the 4 types of scales?

Answer 12

1. Placoid: dentine and enamel in sharks
2. Cosmoid
3. Ganoid
4. Cycloid/ctenoid: found in the majority of teleost fish

Question 13

What are the two different types of swim bladders?

Answer 13

1. Physostomous: more primitive and a connection is retained between the swim bladder and gut- they gulp to fill it
2. Physoclistous: connection to the digestive tract is lost. Fish have to secrete and absorb gas into bladder via blood stream

Question 14

What is the simplest movement for fish?

Answer 14

Passive drifters that go with the flow

Question 15

How do fish swim forward or backward?

Answer 15

Most utilise rhythmic undulations of their bodies or fins

Question 16

What are the four basic types of locomotion in fish?

Answer 16

1. Anguilliform
2. Ostraciform
3. Carangiform/subcarangiform
4. Swimming with the fins

Question 17

What is undulation?

Answer 17

Sinusoids wave passing down the body or fins

Question 18

What is oscillation?

Answer 18

Structure moving back and forth

Question 19

Describe the anguilliform locomotion:

Answer 19

Means ‘eel-like’ movement

Involves sinusoidal undulations

All but the head contributes to the propulsive force

Question 20

What is the most common swimming locomotion type?

Answer 20

Carangiform

Question 21

Describe how the carangiform locomotion works:

Answer 21

They use ligaments to transfer force from muscles to the caudal region

Question 22

What is the role of the functional hinge in carangiform locomotion?

Answer 22

Connecting the tail to the caudal peduncle allows the fish to maintain the tail at the ideal attack angle

Question 23

What is the ideal attack angle?

Answer 23

10-20 degrees

Question 24

What are subcarangiform swimmers better suited for and give some examples of fish

Answer 24

Better suited for rapid acceleration and can aid hovering

Salmon and trout

Question 25

Describe how ostraciform locomotion works

Answer 25

Only the tail oscillates while the body is held rigid

They contract the entire muscle mass on one side of the body, then the other, which produces a sculling motion

Question 26

Give an example of a fish that uses ostraciform locomotion

Answer 26

Box fishes

Question 27

What are the two groups that use oscillatory movement when swimming with just their fins?

Answer 27

Tetraodontiforms e.g. sunfish- flap their dorsal and anal fins synchronously

Labriform: e.g parrotfish- they row their pectoral fins

Question 28

What are the three groups that use undulatory movement when swimming with their fins?

Answer 28

Amiiform: seahorses- the undulations pass along the dorsal fin

Gymnotiform: undulations is a long anal fin

Balistiform: both anal and dorsal fins undulate