Fish Flashcards
Vertebral Column
another term for spinal column.
Neural Crest
a temporary group of cells unique to vertebrates that arise from the embryonic ectoderm cell layer, and in turn give rise to a diverse cell lineage
Fin
A membranous appendage extending from the body of a fish or other aquatic animal, used for propelling, steering, or balancing the body in the water.
Scale
a defect in enamel on sheet iron characterized by blistering and the detachment of small flakes of enamel.
Operculum
the hard bony flap covering and protecting the gills
Atrium
A chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it by muscular contraction into a ventricle.
Ventricle
A chamber of the heart that receives blood from one or more atria and pumps it by muscular contraction into the arteries.
Nephron
functional unit of the kidney, the structure that actually produces urine in the process of removing waste and excess substances from the blood.
Lateral Line
a system of sense organs found in aquatic vertebrates, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water.
Spawning
This is an external method of reproduction where the female releases many unfertilised eggs into the water.
Swim Bladder
gas bladder, fish maw or air bladder is an internal gas-filled organ that contributes to the ability of many bony fish (but not cartilaginous fish) to control their buoyancy, and thus to stay at their current water depth without having to waste energy in swimming.
Jawless Fish
Agnatha is a superclass of jawless fish in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, consisting of both present and extinct species. The group excludes all vertebrates with jaws, known as gnathostomes. Wikipedia
Cartilaginous fish
a fish of a class distinguished by having a skeleton of cartilage rather than bone, including the sharks, rays, and chimeras.
Bony Fish
a fish of a large class distinguished by a skeleton of bone, and comprising the majority of modern fishes.
Bowfin/Dogfin
basal bony fishes related to gars in the infraclass Holostei.
Brown Bullhead
a fish of the Ictaluridae family that is widely distributed in North America.
Brown Trout
a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally.
Burbout
a freshwater gadoid food fish, Lota lota, that has barbels around its mouth and occurs in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Channel Catfish
a common North American freshwater catfish that has a pale blue to olive back with dark spots.
Common Carp
a deep-bodied freshwater fish, typically with barbels around the mouth. Carp are farmed for food in some parts of the world and are widely kept in large ponds.
Crappie
a North American freshwater fish of the sunfish family, the male of which builds a nest and guards the eggs and young.
Flathead Catfish
Flathead catfish reach a length of 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) and their weight can exceed 100 pounds (45 kg). Pylodictis is Greek meaning “mud fish”, and olivaris is Latin for “olive-colored”.
Lake Sturgeon
also called rock sturgeon, is a North American temperate freshwater fish, one of about 25 species of sturgeon.
Lake Trout
any of a number of fishes of the salmon family that live in large lakes and are highly prized as a game fish and as food.
Largemouth Bass
a North American freshwater fish of the sunfish family. It is a popular sporting and food fish.
Long-Nose Gar
a primitive ray-finned fish of the gar family. It is also known as the needlenose gar.
Muskellunge
a large pike that occurs only in the Great Lakes region.
Northern Pike
a long-bodied predatory freshwater fish with a pointed snout and large teeth, of both North America and Eurasia.
Rainbow Trout
a large trout native to the Pacific seaboard of North America. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, both as a farmed food fish and as a sporting fish.
Sauger
a bow or arc of prismatic colors appearing in the heavens opposite the sun and caused by the refraction and reflection of the sun’s rays in drops of rain.
Sheepshead
any of a number of boldly marked edible game fishes that live in warm American waters.
Smallmouth Bass
a North American freshwater fish of the sunfish family. It is a popular sporting and food fish.
Smelt
Smelts are a family of small fish, the Osmeridae, found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Sunfish
a large deep-bodied marine fish of warm seas, with tall dorsal and anal fins near the rear of the body and a very short tail.
Walleye
a North American pikeperch with large, opaque silvery eyes. It is a commercially valuable food fish and a popular sporting fish.
White Sucker
a common and widespread edible sucker (Catostomus commersoni) of the U.S. and Canada.
Yellow Bullhead
a species of bullhead catfish that is a ray-finned fish that lacks scales.
Yellow Perch
an edible freshwater fish with a high spiny dorsal fin, dark vertical bars on the body, and orange lower fins.
