Fish Flashcards
1
Q
what is a fish
A
an aquatic vertebrate with gills, limbs in the form of fins, and usually with skin covered in scales of dermal origin
2
Q
fish
A
- can be defined as all vertebrates that are not tetrapods
- about 32,000 living species which are more than all other vertebrates combined
- common ancestor of fishes is also an ancestor of land vertebrates
3
Q
characteristics of fish
A
- streamlined bodies and fins
- swim bladder to control buoyancy
- specialized organs for salt and water exchange to fit their environment
- gills
- excellent visual and olfactory senses
4
Q
three types of caudal fins
A
- heterocercal (shark)
- diphycercal (lungfish)
- homocercal (perch)
5
Q
four types of fish scales
A
- placoid scales (cartilaginous fishes)
- ganoid scales (nonteleost bony fishes)
- cycloid scales (teleost fishes)
- ctenoid scales (teleost fishes)
6
Q
what do scales tell you about a fish
A
- it can give you an idea about the age and growth of a fish
- as the fish grow, their hard parts must also grow accordingly
7
Q
living jawless fishes
A
- sea lampreys (pretomyzontida)
- hagfishes (myxini)
8
Q
characteristics that sea lampreys and hagfishes share
A
- both lack jaws, internal ossification, scales, or paired fins
- share pore-like gill openings and an eel-like body
9
Q
descendants of the earliest know vertebrates, a group of paleozoic jawless fishes
A
ostracoderms
10
Q
what superclass do hagfishes and sea lampreys belong
A
superclass agnatha (without jaws)
11
Q
why are sea lampreys named as such
A
comes from the habit of grasping onto stone with their mouth
12
Q
marine lamprey that is destructive to native fishes
A
petromyzon marinus
13
Q
sea lampreys are
A
parasitic pests
14
Q
lampreys are anadromous meaning
A
they ascend rivers and streams to spawn
15
Q
young larvae of sea lampreys
A
ammocoetes
16
Q
freshwater lampreys
A
brook or river lampreys
17
Q
a small, oval area marking the position of the so-called third eye in sea lampreys
A
pineal organ
18
Q
pineal organ
A
not an eye in the true sense, but does contain photoreceptors that detect changes in illumination and adjust internal activities of the lamprey
19
Q
lateral line system of lampreys
A
consists of specialized receptors located in small patches on the head and trunk of the lamprey
20
Q
sea lamprey life cycle
A
reproduction is streams -> filter-feeding ammocoete larvae -> metamorphosis -> migration toward lakes -> parasitic stage in lakes
21
Q
an entirely marine group that feeds on annelids, molluscs, crustaceans, and dead or dying animals
A
hagfishes
22
Q
characteristics of hagfishes
A
- marine scavengers
- nearly blind
- can enter the prey’s body through the mouth
- secretes fluid that becomes slimy in contact with seawater
23
Q
characteristics of chondrichthyes
A
- cartilaginous fishes
- 2 subgroups: elasmobranchii (sharks, skates, rays) and holocephali (chimaeras)
- have well developed sense organs, powerful jaws, swimming musculature, and predaceous habits helped them survive
- cartilage in their skeletons is strengthened by calcium salts
24
Q
chondrichthyes: marine or freshwater
A
almost all chondrichthyans are marine and only 28 species live primarily in freshwater
25
characteristics of elasmobranchii
- skeletons made of cartilage
- buccal pumping; with 5 to 7 gill slits in front of pectoral fins
- tough, leathery skin with placoid scales
- fusiform or spindle-shaped body
26
feeding behavior of elasmobranchii
most are carnivores and many are top predators
27
type of tail: the vertebral column turns upward and extends into the dorsal lobe of the caudal fins, provides thrust and some lift as it sweeps back and forth
heterocercal tail
28
fin in male sharks that is modified to form a clasper
medial part of the pelvic fin
29
used to introduce sperm into a female's reproductive tract during copulation
clasper
30
scales of sharks
dermal placoid scales
31
reduces the turbulence of water flowing along the body surface during swimming
dermal placoid scales
32
the part of the head anterior to the eyes
rostrum (snout)
33
modified gill slits that open into the pharynx
pair of dorsal spiracles
34
a white line on each side of the trunk that represents a row of minute, mucus-filled sensory pores used to detect differences in velocity of surrounding water currents and presence of other animals
lateral line (system)
35
electroreceptors located primarily on the shark's head
ampullae of lorenzini
36
fertilization of chondrichthyans
all have internal fertilization but maternal support of embroys is highly variable
37
sharks that lay shelled eggs containing a large amount of yolk
oviparous
38
sharks that are dependent on the mother for nourishment through the placental connection
viviparous
39
retaining developing young in the uterus, and giving birth to fully formed young
viviparous
40
retain developing young in the uterus while they are nourished by contents of their yolk sac until born
ovoviviparous
41
have shorter, thicker tails, and stingers are absent
skates
42
have slender, whip-like tail with one or more saw-like spines
stingrays
43
have large electric organs on each side of the head
electric rays
44
cartilaginous fishes
chondrichthyes
45
bony fishes
osteichthyes
46
characteristics of bony fishes
- fish with bony endoskeletons that gave rise to a clade that contains 96% of living fishes and all living tetrapods
- presence of operculum
- two major lineages: actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fishes)
47
this feature increases respiratory efficiency
operculum
48
osteichthyes: feeding and breathing
- gas-filled diverticulum for gas exchange, buoyancy, and respiration
- swim bladders
- progressive specialization of jaw muscles
49
pouches called for fishes that use gas-filled diverticulum primarily for gas exchange
lungs
50
pouches called for fishes that use gas-filled diverticulum primarily for buoyancy
swim bladders
51
movable bony flap covering the gills
operculum
52
type of fin: vertebral column changed so that the tail became symmetrical
diphycercal tail
53
type of fin: focused musculature contractions on the tail, permitting greater speed; symmetrical
homocercal tail
54
type of scales: small, conical, toothlike stuctures of chondrichthyes
placoid scales
55
type of scales: present in early bony fishes and living gars, are composed of thick layers of silvery enamel on the upper surface and bone on the lower; diamond shaped
ganoid scales
56
type of scales: are thin and flexible and are arranged in overlapping rows; teleost fishes
cycloid or ctenoid scales
57
lampreys that never feed after metamorphosis and die soon after spawning
brook lampreys
58
the modern bony fishes are the major clade of neopterygians
teleost
59
morphological trend of teleost
- heavy dermal armor replaced by light, thin, flexible cycloid and ctenoid scales
- increased mobility from shedding armor
- fins changed to increase maneuverability
- dorsal fins shifted from being a fixed keel that prevent rolling to that of many varied functions
60
the ancestor of tetrapods is found within a group of otherwise extinct sarcopterygian fishes
rhipidistians
61
also arose in the devonian period, diversified somewhat, and reached their peak of diversity in the mesozoic era
coelocanths
62
surviving genus of coelocanths
latimeria
63
propulsive mechanism of a fish
its trunk and tail musculature
64
axial, locomotory musculature is composed of zigzag bands
myomeres
65
the most efficient flotation device is a gas-filled space
swim bladder
66
hearing and weberian ossicles
sounds -> swim bladder -> inner ear via the weberian ossicles
67
a set of small bones that allow them to hear faint sounds over a much broader range of frequency than do other teleosts
weberian ossicles
68
respiration of sharks
gill slits
69
respiration of bony fish
opercular flaps
70
filaments with thin epidermal membranes folded into plate-like lamellae
fish gills
71
feeding behavior of fish
focused mostly to eating and searching for food
72
feeding behavior of fish: eat plants and macroalgae
herbivores
73
feeding behavior of fish: prey on a myriad of animal foods, from zooplankton and insect larvae to large vertebrates
most are carnivores
74
feeding behavior of fish: crop the abundant microorganisms of the sea from a third and diverse group of fishes ranging from fish larvae to basking sharks
suspension feeders
75
feeding behavior of fish: dying or dead animals
scavengers
76
feeding behavior of fish: suckers and minnows that consume fine particulate organic matter
detritivores
77
feeding behavior of fish: lampreys and vandellia (catfish)
parasitic
78
primary function of pyloric ceca in teleosts
lipid absorption
79
has both female and male reproductive organs
hermaphroditism
80
asexual reproduction/self impregnation
parthenogenesis
