Lab 3 Intro

Question 1

Superorder Ostariophysi

Answer 1

Contains 4 orders thoguht to be monophyletic

Order CYPRINIFORMES (carps, minnows)
Order CHARACIFORMES (characins)
Order SILURIFORMES (catfishes and related forms)
Order GYMNOTIFORMES (South American knifefishes, electric eels)

Most have a Weberian ossicle

Question 2

Weberian ossicle

Answer 2

modified series of cervical vertebrae that connects anterior of swim bladder to inner ear – amplify sound vibrations

Question 3

Schreckstoff

Answer 3

This is an alarm substance released by many Ostariophysi

Question 4

Nuptial tubercles

Answer 4

These are multicellular horny tubercles that appear during breeding (pearl organs)

Question 5

Order Cypriniformes (minnows, carps, suckers)

Answer 5

Toothless mouth, modified set of gill arches with teeth serve as second jaw for grinding food (pharyngeal teeth)

Highly protrusible upper jaw and maxilla eliminated from gape

Question 6

Order Charciformes (characins)

Answer 6

Colorful, hatchet fish, tetras, piranhas

Predatory, herbivory, lepidophagy, nuctivory, planktivore

Question 7

Charciformes compared to Cypriniforms

Answer 7

Charciformes have:

Adipose fin
Well developed teeth
Scaled with ctenoid/ctenoid-like
Upper jaw not protractile
Non-specialized pharyngeal teeth

Question 8

Order Siluriformes (catfishes)

Answer 8

Most lack true scales, bony overlapping plates in armoured catfishes

fusion, reduction, or loss of many skull bones found in lower teleosts

adipose fin present or absent

spine like ray at front of dorsal and pectoral fins (may produce toxin)

small eyes, 1-4 senosry barbels, associated with upper or lower jaws

Question 9

Order Gymnotiformes (electric knife fishes)

Answer 9

elongate, compressed or cylindrical bodies
eyes tend to be small or rudimentary
restricted gill openings
pelvic girdle and fins absent
long anal fin, undulated to move back/forth
Dorsal/caudal reduced
electric organs produced from muscle