| Abdomen |
The belly or lower surface of
a fish, especially between the pelvic fins and the anus. |
| Abdominal |
Refers to the location of the
pelvic fins on the belly |
| Anadromous |
Moving from the sea into fresh
water to spawn, as in salmons and shads. |
| Anal fin |
A median fin located on the undersurface,
usually just behind the anus; rarely notched or subdivided. |
| Anterior |
Front; located toward
the front. |
| Anus |
The rear external opening of
the digestive tract; the vent |
| Axil |
The inner base of a pectoral
fin; the "armpit." |
| Bar |
A vertical band of
color. (Compare with stripe) |
| Barbel |
An elongate projection (usually
fleshy and whiskerlike) Found on the lower surface of the
head or near the mouth in some fishes. |
| Base of Fin |
The part of a fin that is attached
to the body. |
| Benthic |
Living on or near the bottom
or in close association with the bottom. |
| Branchiostegal rays |
Ray like bony supports for the
gill membranes, located at the throat. |
| Breast |
The chest area; usually in front
of the pelvic fins. |
| Canine |
A pointed, conical tooth, which
is usually larger than the surrounding teeth. |
| Cartilaginous |
Made of cartilage. Cartilage
is the translucent material that makes up the skeleton of
young fishes, which persists in adults of some species (notably
sharks and rays) but is largely converted to bone in most
fishes. |
| Caudal fin |
A median fin at the rear of the
body; the "tail fin." |
| Caudal peduncle |
- The narrower part of the body
just before the caudal fin; usually refers to the part of
a fish between the rear of the anal fin to the base of the
caudle fin. |
| Cirrus |
- A small, thin flap of skin;
a fleshy appendage that can be located anywhere on the fish
(on the eyeball, on a nostril, on the top of the head, along
the latrine line, ect.). |
| Compressed |
Flattened from side to side. |
| Concave |
Bowed or curved inward. |
| Continuous |
- Unbroken; usually refers to
a dorsal fin in which the spinous part is joined to the
soft-rayed part, with no gap or notch between the two. |
| Convex |
Bowed or curved outward. |
| Copepods |
A group of tiny crustaceans,
some are free swimming; others are parasitic on fishes. |
| Crescent-shaped |
Shaped like a quarter
moon; used to describe the shape of the caudal fin, or pigmented
patches on a fish's body. |
| Ctenoid |
A type of scale; the rear (exposed)
edge of each scale is toothed; making the scale rough to
the touch. |
| Cycloid |
Another type of scale, with a
smooth rear edge which makes the scale smooth to the touch. |
| Disk |
(1) The flat, nearly round body
of skates and rays, formed by pectoral fins that are fully
attached to the body (2) An adhesive (clinging) organ in
some fishes |
| Dorsal |
above; on top. |
| Dorsal fin |
a median rayed fin on the back
often notched or subdivided; sometimes fully divided into
2 separate fins. |
| Embedded |
Used to describe scales that
are buried or wholly covered by skin |
| Eyespot |
An eyelike, pigmented
spot; usually dark, bordered by a ring of pale pigment.
J Opercle: The thin bone forming most of the gill cover.
,/Orbit: The bony eye socket. Orbital: Related to the eye.
(See also interorbital, suborbital.) |
| Filamentous |
Threadlike; usually refers to
elongated fin rays or barbell. |
| Forked |
Usually applied to a caudal fin
with a distinct upper and lower lobe, seperated by a deep
notch. |
| Gas bladder |
An air sac found in many fishes,
which is located under the spinal column, above the gut
cavity; also called the swim bladder by some researchers. |
| Genital papilla |
A small, fleshy swelling or projection
near the anus in some fishes; sometimes developed into a
penis like structure. |
| Gills |
organs in fishes; including the
highly vascularized filaments that are used to extract oxygen
from the water. |
| Gill arch |
The bony support to which the
gill filaments and gill rakers are attached. |
| Gill chamber |
The cavity where the gills are
located. |
| Gill cover |
A bony flap that covers the outside
of the gill chamber. |
| Gill openings |
The openings at the rear of the
head, from the gill chamber to the outside (most fishes
have 1 on each side); called gill slits in sharks and rays. |
| Gill rakers |
Bony, toothlike projections from
the front edge of
the gill arch, opposite the gill filaments; often used as
water
filters to trap food items between the gill arches.
|
| Gill slits |
The slitlike gill openings (5
7 on each side) in sharks and rays. |
| Habitat |
The place where a fish (or other
kind of animal) normally lives. |
| Head length |
The length as measured from the
tip of the snout to
the rear edge of the gill cover
|
| Herbivorous |
Vegetarian, feeding on plants; among fishes, those that
feed on algae.
|
| Hermaphrodite |
Having both male and female organs
in one body. |
| Incised |
Cut away or notched ( such as the fin membranes between
the spines).
|
| Incisors |
Front teeth that are flattened
to form a cutting edge. |
| Intertidal |
Between high-water mark and low-water
mark, also refers to fishes living in this area, especially
tidepool fishes. |
| Isthmus |
A narrow extension of the throat
between the gill chambers. |
| Jugular |
In the throat area; usually refers
to location of the pelvic fins. |
| Juvenile |
of a species; usually
a miniature version of the adult. |
| Labial
groove |
A groove or furrow at the corner
of the mouth in sharks. |
| Larva |
Newborn; the developmental stage
of a fish before it becomes a juvenile. |
| Lateral |
Side; on the side. |
| Lateral line |
A row of porelike openings on
head and body; usually applied to the series of pores or
pored scales along the side of the fish's body. |
| Lunate |
Crescent shaped; usually refers
to the shape of the caudal fin. |
| Maxillary |
A bone in the upper
jaw, comprising most of the upper jaw or only the rear part
of the upper jaw. |
| Median fin |
One of the unpaired fins located
on the midline (on the median plane, which divides the body
vertically into two halves) the dorsal, anal, and caudal
fins. |
| Molar |
A flat topped tooth used for
crushing food. |
| Naked |
Smooth or unsealed. Nictitating
eyelid: A membrane of skin that can be extended over the
eye in some sharks and bony fishes. |
| Nocturnal |
Active at night. |
| Nostril |
A nasal opening (fishes usually
have 2 on each side). |
| Notched |
Indented; especially refers to
a fin in which some rays (at the middle) are shorter |
| Ocellus |
An eyelike, pigmented
spot; usually dark, bordered by a ring of pale pigment.
J Opercle: The thin bone forming most of the gill cover.
,/Orbit: The bony eye socket. Orbital: Related to the eye.
(See also interorbital, suborbital.) |
| Oviparous |
Egg laying. The eggs develop
into embryos after being laid by the female. |
| Ovoviviparous |
Another type of embryonic development,
in which the fertilized eggs complete all or nearly all
of their development inside the female's body before they
hatch. (Compare with viviparous.) |
| Papilla
|
A small fleshy knob or projection |
| Pelvic fin |
One of a pair of fins on the
lower surface of the body, usually located below the pectoral
fins. |
| Pore |
A tiny opening in
the skin; usually involved with sensory perception in fishes. |
| Posterior |
Rear, behind toward the rear. |
| Preopercle |
A cheek bone, at the front of
the gill cover (which often bears spines, as in sculpins).
|
| Protrusible |
Refers to the mouth; having jaws
that can be protruded (thrust forward and out). |
| Reticulate |
Color markings in a chainlike
pattern or network. |
| Rostral |
Pertaining to the snout; a beaklike
extension or plate at the tip of the snout. |
| Scute |
: A bony projection, often a
modified scale. |
| Serrate |
Sawlike; usually
refers to a sawtoothed edge.
Snout: The part of head in front of the eyes. |
| Soft dorsal fin |
A median fin on the back, composed
entirely of
soft fin rays, or having one stiff spine at the front.
|
| Soft ray |
A flexible, jointed (segmented)
fin ray; often branched. |
| Spine |
(1) A bony projection
usually on the head. (2) A single
hard, unbranched ray in a fin a spinous ray.
|
| Spinous ray |
A hard spine (fin ray), with
no segments or
branches.
|
| Stripe |
A horizontal band of color. (Compare
with bar.) |
| Suborbital |
: Below the eyes. |
| Subspecies |
A geographic subgroup within
one species |
| Subtidal |
Just below the low water mark;
also refers to fishes
living in this area.
|
| Tail |
The area of the body behind the
anus in most fishes (not just the tail fin). |
| Territorial |
Defending a home (such as a burrow
or reef crevice) or a particular area. |
| Testis |
Male reproductive gland. |
| Thoracic |
: In the breast area (refers
to pelvic fin location). |
| Truncate |
Having a sqaure cut rear edge
(refers to the shape of the caudal fin). |
| Tubercles |
Small (often cone shaped) projections. |
| Vent |
The combined external opening
of the digestive, urinary, and reproductive tubes. |
| Ventral |
On the lower surface; on the
belly. |
| Vermiculations |
A color pattern of short, wavy
(often wormlike) lines or spots. |
| Viviparous |
Giving birth to live young. The
young are nourished by a placentalike structure in the mother
before their birth. (Compare with ovoviviparous and oviparous.) |
| Vomerine |
Pertaining to the vomer usually
a median bone in the front of the roof of the mouth; often
used to describe location of teeth on this bone. |
| |
|
| |
|
