Class Osteichthyes (Bony Fish)

Front 1

List 9 distinguishing characteristics of Class Osteichthyes (bony fishes).

Back 1

Bony skeleton
Scales in most (ctenoid, cycloid)
Operculum(gill cover)
Homocercal caudal fin
Fin rays (give fish flexibility)
Terminal mouth
Protrusible jaw
Teeth attached to the jawbone
Swim bladder in most

Front 2

List 4 properties of fish scales.

Back 2

There scales are thin, flexible and overlapping. The ctenoid create a spiny border, and the cycloid are smooth. The scales are made of bone and are covered by a thin layer of skin.

Front 3

How are the scales of Arapaima structurally different from other fish? What is the benefit of this structure?

Back 3

They have a laminate composite structure composed of an external mineralized layer and internal lamellae with thickness of 50–60 μm each and composed of collagen fibers with ∼1 μm diameter. The alignment of collagen fibers is consistent in each individual layer but varies from layer to layer, forming a non- orthogonal plywood structure. The benefit is that it is very effective in protecting them against predators.

Front 4

What advantages do protrusible jaws provide?

Back 4

Boney fishes have jaws with much more freedom of movement and feeding habitats than those of sharks. They are said to be protrusible because they can be projected outward from the mouth.

Front 5

Bony fish can be up to 75 % muscle. Why so much?

Back 5

Fish have so much muscle because they are constantly required to move, swim, fly and even breathe. The muscles of fish are also layered rather than bundled as in other vertebrates, so each segment or sheet of muscles is separated from its neighbor by a sheet of connective tissue.

Front 6

List the 5 different types of fins and what type of movement each helps with.

Back 6

Dorsal: steering and mobility
Anal: steering and mobility
Pectoral: manuever and stablility
Pelvic: balance, turn, brake
Caudal: helps the fish to move forward quickly

Front 7

Describe two ways that fish can camouflage themselves.

Back 7

Many fish can rapidly change color by contracting and expanding the pigment in their chromatophores.
Fish also have structural colors that result when a special surface reflects only certain colors of light. The crystals are contained in special chromatophores called iridophores.

Front 8

Describe respiration in fishes, including how they maintain a maximum of oxygen absorption from the water.

Back 8

Fishes obtain oxygen dissolved in water and release carbon dioxide from their blood through paired gills. The gills lie in the pharynx, a chamber just behind the mouth that represents the front part of the gut. The oxygen dissolved in the water diffuses into the capillaries of the gill filaments to oxygenate the blood.

Front 9

Cycloid Scale

Back 9

Smooth, thin, flexible overlapping scales.

Front 10

Ctenoid Scale

Back 10

Have many tiny spines along their exposed border causing it to be spiny.

Front 11

Myomere

Back 11

The blocks of skeletal muscle tissue found in bony fish.

Front 12

Chromatophores

Back 12

Special cells in the skin of bony fishes where colored pigments are found.

Front 13

Iridophore

Back 13

Special chromatophores where the tiny crystals that produce the shiny iridescent quality in fishes are contained.

Front 14

Gill Arch

Back 14

Each gill is made up of a cartilagenous gill arch that separates the gill slits from each other.

Front 15

Gill Filament

Back 15

Each gill arch bears two rows of slender, fleshy projections called gill filaments.

Front 16

Lamellae

Back 16

Each gill filament contains many rows of thin plates or disks called lamellae, which contain capillaries.

Front 17

Gill Rakers

Back 17

Slender projections on the inner surface of the gill arches.

Front 18

Fish Operculum

Back 18

A semi-circular bony gill cover that protects the gill chambers and gill slits found on each side of the head.

Front 19

Homocercal

Back 19

A tail fin having two symmetrical lobes extending from the end of the vertebral column, as in most bony fishes.

Front 20

Protrusible

Back 20

A structural arrangement of the jaws that enables the animal to protrude (extend) or withdraw the mouth at will.

Front 21

Swim Bladder

Back 21

A gas filled sac just above the stomach and the intestine.

Front 22

Hemoglobin

Back 22

The iron containing oxygen transport protein in red blood cells.

Front 23

Myoglobin

Back 23

An iron and oxygen binding protein found in the muscle tissue.

Front 24

Do marine fish tend to lose or absorb water? Why?

Back 24

Marine fishes tend to loose water through their concentrated pee.

Front 25

List 4 mechanisms that bony fish use to osmoregulate.

Back 25

To replace lost water they swallow sea water.
The kidneys conserve water by producing only small amounts of urine.
Absorb water to prevent dehydration mostly through the gills and from food.
Excess salts are excreted by the kidneys, intestine, and a special gland near the anus called the rectal gland.

Front 26

Compare the physical adaptations for feeding in planktivorous vs. carnivorous fishes.

Back 26

Carnivorous fish have well developed teeth for catching, grasping and holding their prey. The roof of their mouth, gill rakers, and pharynx may also have teeth to help hold the prey.
Planktivorous fish filter plankton with their gill rakers. They strain their food by swimming with their small mouths open. (often occur in schools)

Front 27

List and briefly describe 3 different types of feeding found in carnivorous fishes.

Back 27

-Predators: Capture and swallow prey larger than themselves, while some prefer sponges, sea urchins, sea squirts, reef corals, small invertebrates, and dead animal matter.
Filter Feeders: Filter plankton with their gill rakers. They strain their food by swimming with their small mouths open. (often occur in schools)
Grazers: Feed primarily on seaweeds and plants. Their front teeth are fused together to form a beak like structure, some use this beak to scrape off bits of live coral.

Front 28

Briefly describe 3 different external fertilization methods used by bony fishes.

Back 28

Spawn directly into the water after courtship, and the females typically release many eggs.
Some spawn in pairs, the two individuals may pair only during spawning time or may establish long lasting bonds.
Some spawn in groups, the groups of males may be approached by single females or females in groups, although most males usually seek out the females and entice them to spawn via courtship.

Front 29

What is gape width and what does it determine for most fishes?

Back 29

Gape width is how much the fishes jaw can open, it determines what type of prey they can eat.

Front 30

How do viviparous fish embryos receive their nutrition.

Back 30

They absorb nutrients from the walls of the mother’s uterus or reproductive tract.

Front 31

List 5 different behaviors that fish use to communicate territoriality or courtship.

Back 31

Gape
Sounds
Fin display (dorsal or pectoral)
Bitting, attack/dart, or swimming the perimeter
They color change

Front 32

List 4 possible reasons why fish school.

Back 32

To confuse their predators
For reproduction
For feeding
For swimming efficiency

Front 33

Provide 1 example of a fish that migrates, including the two different areas it migrates between and why it does this.

Back 33

Salmon: they are born in freshwater, spends most of its life in the ocean, and goes back to the freshwater in which it was born to mate. (Anadromous)

Front 34

Anadromous

Back 34

Spend most of their lives at sea but migrate to fresh water to breed. (salmon)

Front 35

Catadromous

Back 35

They breed at sea and migrate into rivers to grow and mature.