Classes of Fishes
what are the two groups of bony fish?
Ray finned fishes and Lobe finned fishes
Most open water, schooling fishes use this type of coloration.
countershading
This body part increases buoyancy bony fishes making swimming easier.
swim bladder
This process refers to how marine fishes exchange gases with their surrounding environments
the process of diffusion
It is the part that covers and protects the gills on bony fishes.
operculum
how many species of fishes are there roughly? what percentage are strictly marine?
33,000
58%
Many demersal fish utilize this coloration so they blend in better.
cryptic coloration
Rhythmic contractions of fish locomotion are produced by bands of muscles called
myomeres
what are the 3 species of filter feeding sharks, what are they?
whale shark, basking shark, megamouth shark
These are plate-like disks that are found on gill filaments in areas with high concentrations of capillaries
lamellae
The name for this class of fishes literally means "bony fish".
Class Osteichthyes
The majority of territorial reef fishes use this coloration to confuse their predators.
disruptive coloration
the maneuverable pectoral fins on fish allow them to do what that sharks can't do with their stiffer immoveable pectoral fins?
for maneuverability, the ability to swim backwards!
what is the difference between the intestine of an herbivorous fish compared to a carnivorous fish, why?
Herbivorous fish has a longer intestine because it is harder and takes longer to digest plant material, meat is easier to digest and so the intestine is shorter and less folded.
fishes feature a variety of sense organs. The sense organ that detects vibrations in the water is known as this. What are the cells that make up this sensory organ called?
lateral line, neuromasts
Sharks, Skates, Rays, and ratfishes make up this class.
Chondrichthyes
These cells are used to control the coloration of a fish.
chromatophores
how to sharks stay floating in the water column without sinking?
They must be continually swimming, their pectoral fins provide lift, and their lipid rich liver provides some additional bouyancy.
which fish has to drink water, and why?
Most fish that live in the ocean tend to lose water--the high salt content of the ocean causes water to constantly flow out through the fish's gills. So fish need to drink lots of seawater to stay hydrated, the salts get concentrated into their bladder for them to urinate and release the excess salts with minimal urination/water loss
sharks and other cartilaginous fishes have these sense organs in the head that can detect electrical fields
ampullae of Lorenzini
What is an example of a living species of lobe finned fish? What is the importance of lobe finned fishes?
Coelacanths, they are able to walk on their fins. Lobe finned fishes would eventually evolve and move back on land, evolving into amphibians.
The types of fishes that spend their lives at sea but migrate to fresh water for reproduction
anadromous fishes
what are the names for the two types of tail fins that focus on the sizes of the lobes, what does each one mean?
heteroceral- the top lobe is longer than the bottom (sharks)
homocercal- upper and lower lobe are roughly equal in length
There are three modes/types of sexual reproduction, what are they and what does each mean?
Oviparous- embryo is enclosed in a case that drops freely
Ovoviviparous- the female retains the egg inside her and it hatches within the mothers reproductive tract resulting in live birth
Viviparous- embryos absorb nutrients from the mother and give live birth
Explain countercurrent exchange, what is the benefit?
The efficiency of oxygenation within the gills in increased by water flowing over the gills in the opposite direction to the blood.