Common Fish Families

Question 1

Minnows

Answer 1

• Family Cyprinidae
• largest family of fish
• barbs, danios, rasboras, freshwater sharks
• goldfish and koi
• broadcast eggs and sperm

Question 2

Tetras/Characins

Answer 2

• Family Characidae and Related Families
• pacu, tetras, piranha
• broadcast eggs and sperm, no parental care

Question 3

Armored Catfish/Corydoras Catfish

Answer 3

• Family Callichthyidae
• Corydoras are capable of breathing air
• some build bubble nests guarded by the male

Question 4

Suckermouth Armored Catfish/Plecostomus

Answer 4

• Family Loricariidae
• breed in caves, under rocks, or in holes
• male guards mass of adhesive eggs and may protect the offspring for short time

Question 5

Rainbowfishes

Answer 5

• Families Melanotaeniidae, Pseudomugilidae and others
• males are brightly colored while females and juveniles are drab

Question 6

Livebearers

Answer 6

• Family Poeciliidae
• guppies, mollies, platies, swordtails, variatus
• Males possess a gonopodium, a modified anal fin that is used to internally fertilize females
• Mating is promiscuous and a female may carry the sperm of several males
• The eggs are carried internally by the female and the young are born live

Question 7

Cichlids

Answer 7

• Family Cichlidae
• angelfish, discus, eartheaters, oscar, and various “Cichlasoma” from the New World, as well as haps, jewel cichlids, kribs, mbuna and Tanganyikans
• all cichlids provide some form of parental care, and many are highly territorial

Question 8

Labyrinth Fish

Answer 8

• Families Osphronemidae and Helostomatidae
• Also known as anabantoids
• Includes gouramis and paradisefish
• “labyrinth organ” which is a modified gill they use like a lung to breath atmospheric air
• Many are bubble nest builders with the male maintaining th enest as well as guarding and caring for the eggs and fry
• Some are mouthbrooders and some broadcast

Question 9

Anemone fish/damselfish

Answer 9

• Pomacentridae
• Clownfish and damsels
• commensal relationship with anemones
• many are protandric hermaphrodites

Question 10

Gobies

Answer 10

• Gobiidae
• many have well developed united, pelvic fins which act as adhesive sucking discs and lack a swim bladder

Question 11

Surgeonfish/tangs

Answer 11

• Acanthuridae
• one or more erectile spines on their caudal peducle which are used for defense
• highly susceptible to HLLE

Question 12

Wrasses

Answer 12

• Labridae
• protractile mouths, jaw teeth which project outward and crushing pharyngeal teeth

Question 13

Butterflyfish

Answer 13

• Chaetodontidae
• strongly compressed bodies
• small, terminal, protractile mouths with several rows of teeth which are brushlike

Question 14

Angelfish

Answer 14

• Pomacanthidae
• strongly compressed bodies and a strong spine at the lower edge of the preopercular bone

Question 15

Boxfish/trunkfish

Answer 15

• Ostraciidae
• slow moving fish with a rigid body, made up of body plates covered with a sensitive skin
• may lack pelvic fins
• most are capable of releasing a poison (ostracitoxin) into the water when threatened, leading to the demise of other fish as well as their own

Question 16

Lionfish/scorpionfish/turkeyfish

Answer 16

• compressed bodies with numerous venomous spines
• fins have venom glands in dorsal, anal and pelvic spins

Question 17

Seabass/Grouper

Answer 17

• Serranidae
• usually solitary
• large mouths with numerous short, fine, pointed teeth
• functional hermaphrodites, and may switch sexes depending upon the species and population pressures

Question 18

Triggerfish

Answer 18

• Balistidae
• trigger-like mechanism of their first dorsal fin, normally carried in a groove, whcih is used to prevent preation or removal from a crevice
• covered by osseous scales which form a hard flexible arm, and swim by undulations of their dorsal and anal fins
• strong, protruding teeth
• Filefish have a rough, velvety, abrasive skin, with modified scales; lack pelvic fins and trigger but have single long dorsal spine

Question 19

Parrotfish

Answer 19

• Scaridae
• jaw teeth in these fish are fused into a parrot like beak and pharyngeal teeth for crushing, but lack true stomach
• protogynous hermaphrodites

Question 20

Jawfish

Answer 20

• Opisthognathidae
• largemouths, naked heads and tapered cylindrical bodies with continuous dorsal fins
• males are mouth brooders

Question 21

Batfish

Answer 21

• Platacidae
• oval bodies and very high fins

Question 22

Puffers

Answer 22

• Tetraodontidae (smooth) and Diodontidae (spiny)
• fused jaws and parrot like beak
• inflate themselves with air or water as a defense
• ovaries and some other organs contain tetrodotoxin, a fatal neurotoxin

Question 23

Mandarinfish

Answer 23

• Callionymidae
• psychedelic fish and mandarinfish are most commonly kepy
• do not use copper

Question 24

Basslets

Answer 24

• Grammidae
• Royal gramma most common

Question 25

Eels

Answer 25

• Anguilliformes
• small round gill openings
• scaleless
• no pectoral fins
• most have long fanglike teeth

Question 26

Pipefish/seahorses

Answer 26

• Syngnathidae
• elongate bodies encased in a series of body rings and are poor swimmers
• many have prehensile tail to anchor onto objects
• gill openings are very small
• males care for young

Question 27

Blennies

Answer 27

• Blennidae
• blunt head with cirri (long bristle-like growths above their eyes) elongate bodies

Question 28

Sharks

Answer 28

• Selachimorpha

Question 29

Stingrays

Answer 29

• Dasyatidae