fish morphology and identification - directoryworkforce.calu.edu/argent/courses/fisheries...pointed...
TRANSCRIPT
Fish Morphology and
Identification
Taxonomy - The classification of
organisms in an ordered system that indicates
natural relationships
Kingdom - Anamalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Osteichthyes
Order - Acipenseriformes
Family - Acipenseridae
Lampreys, Petromyzontidae
Sturgeons, Acipenseridae
•Five rows of bony scutes on body
•Mouth inferior
•Teeth absent in adults
•Four barbels anterior to mouth
Paddlefish, Polyodontidae
•Long nose (rostrum)
•Heterocercal tail
•Planktivore
Gars, Lepisosteidae
•Ganoid scales
•Grayish to olive green
back
•Long nose - large
pointed teeth
•Rhomboid shaped tail
Herrings, Clupeidae
•Scutes on the belly
•Scaleless head
•Cycloid scales
Mooneyes, Hiodontidae
•Similar to herring, but don’t have belly scutes
•Lateral line visible
•Prominent teeth
•Cycloid scales
Pikes, Esocidae
•Duck-bill shaped jaw
•Large canine like teeth
Pike vs. Muskie
Minnows, Cyprinidae
•Scaleless head
•Toothless jaws,
•Lack of adipose fin
•Lack of appendages at the base of the pelvic fins
•A single, soft dorsal fin in native species having < 10 rays
Other minnow examples
Silverside, Atherinidae
•Brook silversides are a long, slender, translucent
•Head is long and flattened above with a long snout that
forms a pointed beak.
•Two dorsal fins positioned above a long anal fin
Suckers, Catostomidae
•Primarily Bottom Feeder
•Some filter plankton
•Protusile lips - subterminal
•Toothless jaws
•Scaleless heads/cycloid scales
Sometimes, it’s all in the lips
River redhorse Silver redhorse
River carpsucker vs. Quillback
Catfishes, Ictaluridae
•Scaleless bodies
•Eight elongated fleshy barbels
•Strong, sharp spines
Large
Small
Medium
Temperate basses, Percichthydae
•Bony dorsal rays
•Distinct banding patterns
Sunfishes, Centrarchidae
•All have at least one spine at the front part of the dorsal fin
•Ctenoid scales
•Deep lateral compression
Perches, Percidae
•Dorsal fins are a very distinctive characteristic
•All members of the family are strictly carnivorous
Walleye vs. Sauger
Saugeye
Drums, Sciaenidae
•High arched back
•Mouth slightly sub terminal
•Color in wild, pinkish-green
•Defined lateral line
Sample Food Web