Lab #4 Groups

Question 1

Order Gadiformes (Burbot)

Answer 1

Body colouration varies from yellow-brown to brown or even dark olive with black
mottling and blotching, giving it almost a camouflage appearance
* Burbot resembles an eel more than other freshwater fish
* Scales are small, the skin has a slimy feel
* Bottom feeder, has large chin barbel with tubular nostrils similar to catfish, for detecting
food.
* Two dorsal fins, rounded tail
* Two dark lateral bars

Question 2

Order Batrachoidiformes (Plainfin midshipman)

Answer 2

Spines on dorsal fin, occasionally venomous
* ~ 700 dorsal photophores that emit light and attract prey
* Highly vocal
* Toadfishes are usually scaleless, with eyes set high on large heads
* Their mouths are also large, with both maxilla and premaxilla, and often decorated with
barbels and skin flaps
* They are generally drab in colour, although those living in coral reefs may have brighter
patterns.
* The gills are small and occur only on the sides of the fish
* The pelvic fins are forward of the pectoral fins, usually under the gills, and have one
spine with several soft rays
* There are two separate dorsal fins; the first is smaller with spines, while the second has
from 15 to 25 soft rays

Question 3

Order Percopsiformes (Trout Perch)

Answer 3

Thick bodied, back and sides pale olive, straw-coloured, or silvery to almost translucent
five distinct rows of black spots on back and sides belly whitish
* Fleshy adipose fin, lateral line present, tail fin is deeply forked
* Large head, mouth is horizontal and large
* Upper jaw not reaching beyond the front of the eye

Question 4

Order Osmeriformes (Longfin smelt)

Answer 4

Overall body colour is silvery, back appears olive to pink and is iridescent
* Pectoral fins almost reach insertion point of pelvic fin
* Dorsal fin originates behind pelvic fins
* Lacking concentric striae on gill cover
* Adipose fin is present
* Lateral line is incomplete

Question 5

Order Osmeriformes (Eulachon)

Answer 5

Adult colouration is brown to blue on the back, silvery white on the sides, and white on
the ventral surface
* Dorsal fin originates behind pelvic fins
* Concentric striae or lines on gill cover
* Mouth with moderately developed canine teeth (teeth are lost at maturity)
* Adipose fin is sickle shaped

Question 6

Order Osmeriformes (Surf Smelt)

Answer 6

Green to dark back with a silver or yellow band on its sides
* Small mouth with upper jaw not reaching beyond middle of pupil
* Short lateral line
* Small scales
* Pelvic fins begin behind dorsal fin
* Rounded adipose fin

Question 7

Order Osmeriformes (Capelin)

Answer 7

Overall body colour is olive
* Dorsal fin starts behind midpoint of the body and over the pelvic fin bases
* Snout is somewhat pointed with upper jaw reaching to eye centre
* Lateral line is complete
* Low adipose fin

Question 8

Order Salmoniformes (pink salmon)

Answer 8

Body colour is silver, darker back, large oval spots on back and tail fin
* During breeding the male develops a hump back and slightly hooked jaw
* Body colour turns dark green when getting ready to spawn
* Small scales on body
* Adipose fin present

Question 9

Order Salmoniformes (Chum Salmon)

Answer 9

Ocean Phase
* Silvery sides with a green or blue back and white tips on the ventral and anal fins
* Some black speckling may be present, and faint indications of a vertical bar pattern may
be visible.
* Absence of large black spots on the body or fins, slender caudal peduncle, and large
scales.
* Dark edges on fins
* Adipose fin present
Spawning Phase
* Body colour typically olive or grey with maroon and black vertical bars
* Vertical pattern of bars along the sides, dark or black ventral surfaces, and white tips on
the ventral and anal fins.

Question 10

Order Salmoniformes (Sockeye salmon)

Answer 10

Ocean Phase (both phases the finless gap between the tail fin and other fins is wide)
* Silvery sides with a green or blue back and white tips on the ventral and anal fins
* No large spots on back or tail, but some may have speckling on the back
* No silver pigment on the tail, and they have a prominent gold eye colour
* Mouth is white with a white gum line and dark tongue
* Small teeth, adipose fin is present
Spawning Phase
* Body colour typically various shades of bright red, head and tail are a greenish colour
* Males may display a vertical pattern of bars along the sides, and spawning females will
usually display a dark vertical stripe
* Only salmon species that displays different spawning colours on the body and head

Question 11

Order Salmoniformes (Chinook salmon)

Answer 11

Mouth is dark with a black gum line
* Large sharp teeth, dark spots on back
* Spots on both lobes of tail and silver colour is present
* Adipose fin present

Question 12

Order Salmoniformes (Coho Salmon)

Answer 12

Medium sized needle-like teeth, white gums
* Black spots on upper lobe of caudal fin
* Caudal peduncle compressed and deep
* Spawning individuals have hooked jaws and are generally red on ventral surface on and
below lateral line
* Adipose fin present

Question 13

Order Salmoniformes (rainbow trout)

Answer 13

Rainbow trout are silvery-grey to dark-green on the back and sides. They have a pinkish
or reddish lateral stripe, sometimes with lavender or orange overtones, from the gill cover
running the length of the fish
* The caudal fin has rows of small dark spots, and there are more small blackish spots
sprinkled on the head and sides, and spotting on the dorsal and adipose fin
* Belly is whitish and lower fins are pale-pink
* Adipose fin present

Question 14

Order Salmoniformes (cutthroat trout)

Answer 14

Head is blunt, long jaw extends past eye
* Small black spots on head & body extending well below lateral line, and on all fins
* Red to yellow streaks on underside of jaw
* Faint to no red on sides of spawning fish
* Two dark lateral bars
* Adipose fin present

Question 15

Order Salmoniformes (dolly varden)

Answer 15

Heads do not dominate their profiles and are more blunt, bodies more oval and trout-like
* Somewhat shorter upper jaws that are more straight
* Smaller and more crowded spots on dorsal surfaces, particularly when their backs are
viewed from above
* Teeth at front of roof of the mouth
* Unmarked dorsal fin
* Adipose fin present, pale spots on the back and sides

Question 16

Order Salmoniformes (bull trout)

Answer 16

Larger, broader, flatter heads with more pointed snouts (and body rises quickly on dorsal
surface after head) than other trout
* Bodies are more slender and ventrally flattened
* Somewhat longer upper jaws which appear to curve downward at their posterior ends
* Red colouring around the lips
* Larger and more separated spots on dorsal surfaces, particularly when their backs are
viewed from above
* Adipose fin present

Question 17

Order Salmoniformes (brook trout)

Answer 17

Typical trout-shaped body
* White leading edge on the pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins.
* The rest of the fins are yellowish or reddish
* The back is heavily covered with vermiculation or ‘wormy’ marks
* No black or brown spots on the head, back or caudal fin
* Adipose fin present

Question 18

Order Salmoniformes (lake trout)

Answer 18

Back is green, grey, brown, or almost black; sides are lighter; belly is white
* Light wormlike markings and spots on dark background, no red colour
* White leading edge on lower fins, but no black line
* Deeply forked tail
* Adipose fin present

Question 19

Order Salmoniformes (Atlantic salmon)

Answer 19

Black x-shaped spots above the lateral line
* Upper jaw does not extend past the rear of the eye
* Large black spots on gill covers distinguish the species from all Pacific species
* May or may not have black spots on tail
* Slender or pinched base of tail
* Adipose fin present

Question 20

Order Salmoniformes (Arctic grayling)

Answer 20

Greatly enlarged dorsal fin (especially males), small mouth, fine teeth on both jaws
* Dorsal fin reaching adipose fin when depressed, but shorter in females; pelvic fins rather
long, reach anal fin in adult males, but not in females
* Lower lobe of caudal fin often longer than upper
* Dorsal surface dark purple, or blue black to blue grey, sides grey to dark blue with
pinkish iridescence, ventral surface grey to white
* Scattered dark spots on sides, these being more numerous on the young; a dark
longitudinal stripe along lower sides between pectoral and pelvic fins
* Dorsal fin dark with narrow purple edge (rows of reddish to orange or purple to green
spots on body of fin)
* Pelvic fins dark with irregular diagonal orange-yellow stripes; adipose, dorsal, anal,
caudal, and pectorals dusky to dark
* Adipose fin present

Question 21

Order Salmoniformes (Brown trout)

Answer 21

Brownish in overall tone. The back and upper sides are dark-brown to grey-brown even
gold, with yellow-brown to silvery lower sides, a cream to white-yellow -coloured belly.
* Large, dark black, grey or yellow spots are outlined with pale white halos on the sides,
the back and dorsal fin, with reddish-orange or yellow spots scattered on the sides
* The fins are clear, yellow-brown, and unmarked. This species has a very noticeable
spotted adipose fin between the dorsal and caudal fin.
* There are no spots on the squarish tail or wormy marks on the back

Question 22

Order Salmoniformes (Inconnu)

Answer 22

Large whitefish, distinctive appearance, bright silvery green/brown on the back
* Long tapered body, long thin broad head
* Lower jaw extends beyond upper jaw
* Lower jaw has rows of densely-packed teeth
* Large fins with dark tips
* Adipose fin, soft and just in front of the strongly forked tail

Question 23

Order Salmoniformes (Least cisco)

Answer 23

Similar to Cisco but distance from snout to pelvic fin origin equal to distance from pelvic
fin origin to a point on the caudal peduncle (this is a difficult feature to use).
* High falcate dorsal fin
* Brown to green on back, silvery on underneath and sides
* Red colouring around the lips

Question 24

Order Salmoniformes (cisco)

Answer 24

Colouring is dusky grey to bluish on the back, silvery on the sides, and white on the
underside
* Characterized by an adipose dorsal fin and a forked tail, the cisco has a terminal mouth (a
lower jaw projecting slightly beyond the upper jaw) but mouth appears even with the tip
of the snout
* The body is elongate and slender, with less than 100 scales in the lateral line
* The pelvic axillary process, or dagger-like progression, is well developed
* All fins are relatively clear, although the anal and the pelvic fins may be milky on adults

Question 25

Order Salmoniformes (arctic cisco)

Answer 25

Body moderately deep, head relatively small, jaws about equal, snout not prominent, tip
of lower jaw not upturned, upper jaw reaching back to level of pupil
* Body has a metallic silver body with a brown to dark green back
* Almost colourless fins, and no spots
* No teeth on their jaws, but have a patch of teeth on their tongue
* Red colouring around the lips
* Two dark lateral bars
* Adipose fin present

Question 26

Order Salmoniformes (lake whitefish)

Answer 26

Body is silvery to white in colour with an olive to pale greenish-brown back
* Fins are white and the tail has a dark-edge.
* Slender, elongated species with a mouth that is sub-terminal and a snout that protrudes
beyond it
* Tail is deeply forked
* Adipose fin is present

Question 27

Order Salmoniformes (mountain whitefish)

Answer 27

Bronzed-white scaled body
* Body slender and nearly cylindrical in cross section, short head, small mouth, forked tail
* Snout and lower jaw are short and blunt, with a flap on each nostril
* Adipose fin is present

Question 28

Order Salmoniformes (Broad whitefish)

Answer 28

An elongated body covered in silvery scales
* Broad body, body rises at a sharp angle giving it a blunt face
* Very small, slightly down-turned mouth
* Caudal fin is deeply forked, all fins are dark
* Adipose fin is present

Question 29

Order Salmoniformes (Pygmy whitefish)

Answer 29

Silvery white body, olive brown back
* Snout overhangs the mouth, single flap between the nostrils on each side
* Large eye (similar in diameter to the length of the snout) transparent membrane
surrounds the eye
* Dorsal fin rays (9-12)
* Fleshy adipose fin

Question 30

Order Salmoniformes (round whitefish)

Answer 30

Round whitefish are noticeably cylindrical in body shape, dark brown on the back fading
to silvery sides and silvery-white below.
* Pectoral and pelvic fins are typically light orange in colour
* Large scales
* Small, toothless mouth
* Adipose fin if present

Question 31

Order Esociformes (Northern Pike)

Answer 31

Light markings on a dark green background; lower half of the cheek completely scaled
* Rounded tail lobes
* Scales cover cheek and upper half of gill cover, jaws are ‘duck-like’
* Pores on lover surface of jaw, fie or less on each side
* Wavy dark bands on the dorsal, anal and pelvic fins
* Single dorsal fin is posterior
* No adipose fin

Question 32

Order Esociformes (mud minnow)

Answer 32

Overall colouration is dark olive-green to brown-black with 14 vertical dark brown bars
along the sides
* The top of the head and cheeks are scaled
* There is a prominent, vertical, dusky bar at the base of the tail
* The dorsal fin is set back towards the posterior half. The tain fin is rounded. The anal fin
is larger than the pelvic and longer in males, almost reaching the tail fin
* No adipose fin

Question 33

Order Myctophiformes (blue lanterfish)

Answer 33

Large eye with short head
* Jaw extends beyond orbit
* Anal fin much longer than dorsal
* Moderately large cycloid scales with slightly scalloped edges
* Caudal peduncle narrow
* Photophores posterior to adipose fin on ventral surface follow this pattern: ** *
* Bright metallic blue coloration on dorsal surface, silver on ventral surface
* Adipose fin present

Question 34

Order Myctophiformes (Northern lampfish)

Answer 34

Large eye with long head
* Jaw extends beyond orbit
* Anal fin similar in size to dorsal
* Large round cycloid scales
* Caudal peduncle wide
* Small gap between photophores on caudal peduncle, with last four curling up towards the
lateral line
* Adipose fin present

Question 35

Order Lophiiformes (Monkfish)

Answer 35

Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-12; Anal soft rays: 9 - 10. Peritoneum pale. Head and body depressed. Mouth wide and cavernous. Skin thin and loose, scales absent. Esca bifid, 2 broad, flattened , leaf-like blades. Dorsal spines long, stout and bearing many well-developed tendrils; 4th spine greater than snout width

Question 36

Order Lophiiformes (footballfishes)

Answer 36

Sexual dimorphism is extreme (e.g., females = 60cm, males = 4 cm)
* Flesh is gelatinous, but thickens in the larger females, which also possess a covering of
“bucklers” — round, bony plates each with a median spine — that are absent in males.
Both are a reddish brown to black
* Females differ from those of other ceratioid families by their shortened, blunt snout;
along with the chin, it is covered in sensory papillae. Originating above or slightly in
advance of the small eye is an ilicium (the “fishing rod”) and at its end a bioluminescent,
bulbous esca (the “fishing lure”, its light owing to symbiotic bacteria

Question 37

Order Lampridiformes (opah)

Answer 37

Dark steely blue body that is less than twice as long as wide, with green, silver and purple
iridescent tones
* Body is covered with silver spots in irregular rows
* Fins are red in colour, but each is trimmed in off-white
* Single dorsal fin, long pointed pectoral and pelvic fins, and a broadly concave caudal fin
* Anal fin is shorter than the dorsal fin and about equal in height to the rear portion of the
dorsal fin, and both extend to the tail base
* Gold band around the eyes
* Lateral line strongly arched upward above the pectoral fins and then downward at the rear

Question 38

Order Lampridiformes (king of the salmon)

Answer 38

Tooth like structures on ventral midline and dorsal fin rays
* Large red dorsal fin running the length of the body with other fins being reduced or
completely absent
* Large eye
* Laterally compressed
* Caudal peduncle tapers to a small point
* Strong lateral line

Question 39

Order Gadiformes (Pacific hake)

Answer 39

Similar to cods, Pacific hake have an elongate, soft body and square caudal fin.
* Body is silvery with black speckles on the dorsal side
* The second dorsal fin and anal fin are deeply notched (not separated into 2 fins)
* Lacks a chin barbel and the lower jaw projects slightly
* Scales are tiny and cycloid, and frequently rubbed off

Question 40

Order Gadiformes (Pacific cod)

Answer 40

Ranges in colour from brown to grey on the dorsal side. Brown spots or pale areas on the
back and sides, and lighter on the bottom
* Whisker as long or longer than the eye
* Three separate dorsal fins
* Anus located directly below second dorsal fin
* The fins are somewhat dusky in colour and usually white-edged. Two dark lateral bar

Question 41

Order Gadiformes (pacific tomcod)

Answer 41

Colour from olive green to brownish above and creamy white below. The fins have
dusky tips
* Body is elongated and slender and covered with small, thin scales.
* Small barbel on the chin
* Characteristic of the cod family, the Pacific tomcod has three dorsal fins, two anal fins, a
large head, and a large mouth with fine teeth. The first anal fin begins below the rear of
the first dorsal fin.
* Three spineless dorsal fins and the small chin barbel, two dark lateral bars

Question 42

Order Gadiformes (walleye pollock)

Answer 42

Body is elongate, olive-green to brown colour, often with faint blotching or mottling
above, silvery sides, and a whitish belly
* Three dorsal fins and two anal fins
* Lower jaw projects slightly beyond the upper jaw and a chin barbel is tiny, if present at
all
* First anal fin of this species is usually pale and the other fins are dusky
* Anus is located directly below space between 1 st and 2nd fins