Term
Characiformes - African Characins
Some fin-biters and piscivores, but most are smallish bottom-oriented herbivores and invertivores from Africa |
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Definition
| African characins and tetras/Kafue pike/tigerfish |
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Term
Characiformes – Characidae
South and Central American freshwater mostly riverine fishes with widely varied but sometimes dangerously carnivorous diets |
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Definition
| Characins/tetras/piranhas/hatchet fishes/pike characins |
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Term
Siluriformes
Speciose group having complex Weberian apparatus and fear scent, but also 1-4 pairs of barbels; 1 on maxilla; often scaleless or plated, with adipose fin, lockable dorsal/pectoral spines, solid and flattened cranium, intramuscular bones lacking, small teeth only on premaxilla and vomer, non-protrusible mouths. |
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Definition
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Term
Ictaluridae
North American freshwater species with flattened head and 8 barbels; 2 on snout, 2 on maxillae, 4 on chin, mostly are dark, all are scaleless. |
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Definition
| North American catfishes/madtoms/cave catfishes |
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Term
Clariidae
African and southern Asian freshwater species with flattened heads bearing 4 pairs of long barbels, long dorsal and anal fins, modified gill structures for air-breathing (labyrinth or suprabranchial organ) in oxygen-poor waters, and often lacking adipose fins |
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Definition
| South American/African/Eurasian air-breathing or labyrinthine catfishes |
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Term
Eurasian/African catfishes/begrids/sheathfishes
Eastern hemisphere catfishes with long anal fin, short or absent dorsal fin, absent adipose fin, compressed trunks, weak spines and large eyes |
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Definition
| Eurasian/African Catfishes |
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Term
South American Catfishes
Diverse South American catfishes, some armored, some plated, some with stout pectoral spines, some with 6 very long barbels, some with vascularized hind guts |
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Definition
| South American/velvet/armored/thorny/spiny dwarf/long-whiskered catfishes |
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Term
Loricariidae
South American armored catfishes with sucker-like mouths used for algae or wood feeding, many of with use their guts to respire |
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Definition
| Suckermouth armored/stick/bristlenose catfish |
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Term
Trichomycteridae
Small, thin catfishes with small eyes, no adipose fin, and parasitic habits (urea following, gill filament and scale “snatching”) can cause human discomfort |
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Definition
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Term
Marine Catfishes
Mostly marine warm-water schooling catfishes that vibrate their swim bladder and click their pectoral spines |
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Definition
| Sea/eeltail/gafftopsail catfishes |
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Term
Gymnotiformes
South American freshwater fishers that all have large electric organs, eel-like bodies with reduced viscera, long anal fins, absent pelvic fins, small or absent caudal, pectoral, dorsal and small gills and gill openings |
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Definition
| Electric & knife eels/knifefishes/sand knifefishes |
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Term
Argentiniformes
Are deep sea, silvery, or black smelt-like fishes with large or tubular eyes and epibranchial organs, may lack adipose fins, a few have photopores |
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Definition
| Deep-sea smelts/barreleyes/spookfishes |
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Term
Salmoniformes
Northern Fishes with adipose fins and anadromous habits, lacking radii on their scales |
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Definition
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Term
Osmeroidei
Small smelt-like fishes from the northern and southern hemispheres and south Asia |
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Definition
| Northern smelts/noodlefishes/icefishes/southern smelts |
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Term
Osmeroidei - Northern Smelts
Silvery northern hemisphere smelts, small but carnivorous, with small teeth on maxilla and premaxilla, adipose fin, axillary process absent, 0-11 pyloric cecae, and cucumber odor |
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Definition
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Term
Osmeroidei – Noodlefishes
Small, elongate, scaleless, nearly transparent, flabby, lack ossification, and may be neotinic |
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Definition
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Term
Osmeroidei - Southern Smelts
Small, elongate, scaleless trout-like species from Australia/new Zealand that lack adipose fins and maxillary teeth, and have rearward dorsal fins above the anal fins, rounded caudal fins, large pectorals, and small or absent pelvics |
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Definition
| Southern hemisphere smelts/galaxids/salamanderfish |
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Term
Salmonoidei
Often-anadromous fish with streamlined body, forked tails, cycloid scales, relatively large eggs, adipose fins, axillary process, and numerous pyloric cecae |
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Definition
| Salmon/trout/whitefish/grayling |
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Term
Esociformes
Northern hemisphere lie-in-wait predators with rearward opposed dorsal and anal fins, lack adipose fins, maxillary teeth, mesocoracoid bone, and pyloric cecae |
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Definition
| Pikes/Muskie/mud minnows/blackfish |
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Term
Stenopterygii – Gonostomatidae
Abundant, small toothsome deep-sea predators with photopores and large mouths capable of capturing both large and small prey |
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Definition
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Term
Stenopterygii – Sternoptychidae
Hatchet shaped, deep, very compressed bodies with a dorsal “blade”, silvery, numerous photopores, upward pointing eyes and mouth |
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Definition
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Term
Stenopterygii – Stomiidae
Dark deep-sea toothy predators with chin barbels having luminescent lure ends, huge mouths on ”hinged” jaws |
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Definition
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Term
Cyclosquamata
Diverse group of mostly deep-sea predatory aulopiform fishes grouped together by the unique structure of their gill arches and their toothiness |
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Definition
| Circle-scales/barracudina/spiderfish/lizardfish/sabertooth fishes/pearleyes/lancetfishes/greeneyes/grideyes |
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Term
| Scopelomorpha – Myctophiformes |
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Definition
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Term
Lampridiomorpha
Diverse group of often brightly colored pelagic deep-water species with highly protrusible mouths and elongate dorsal fins |
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Definition
| Opah/tube eyes/crestfish/tibbonfish/oarfish |
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Term
Polymixiomorpha
Benthic tropical marine species with large eyes, long hyoid barbels that dangle from chin, well-spined fins, and two sets of intramuscular bones |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Percopsids/ophidiids/gadids/batracoidids/lophiids |
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Term
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Definition
| Trout & pirate perches/cavefish |
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Term
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Definition
| Brotulas/cuskeels/pearlfish |
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Term
Gadiformes – Macrouridae
Benthic deep-water marine fishes with large heads long tapering bodies, continuous dorsal and anal fins, sharply pointed caudal fins |
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Definition
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Term
Gadiformes – Moridae
Resemble hakes, but have pointed snouts that are flat over the mouth and inner ears connected to the swim bladder. |
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Definition
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Term
Gadiformes – Merlucciidae
Benthic marine fishes with one or two dorsal fins no chin barbell, and first dorsal fin ray hardened into a spine |
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Definition
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Term
Gadiformes – Gadidae
Marine bottom dwellers with dorsal fin divided into two or three, caudal fin separate, chin barbell; important commercial fish |
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Definition
| True cod/haddock/Pollock/burbot |
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Term
Batrachoidiformes
Noisy, scaleless, flat-headed, squat bodied, large-mouthed, shallow marine species with protruding dorsally located eyes and jugular pelvic fins |
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Definition
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Term
Lophiiformes
Ribless, large mouthed, large headed, often scaleless, usually benthic or deep-sea marine species; pelvic fins are jugular or absent, possess illicium and esca, males are parasitic on females |
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Definition
| Anglerfishes/goosefishes/frogfishes/handfishes/batfishes/devils |
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Term
Mugilomorpha
Possess small streamlined bodies, forked tails, hard-angled mouths, large scales, subabdominal pelvic fins, two widely-separated dorsal fins the first of which contains just four spines; feed by scooping sediment, sorting it through fine gill rakers, grinding it in a gizzard-like stomach, and digesting it in an extremely long intestine. Makes for a nice hairstyle! |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Medakas/ricefishes/flying fishes/halfbeaks/needlefishes/sauries |
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Term
Atheriniformes
Elongate slender silver bodies, terminal mouths, large eyes, two dorsal fins each lead by a weak spine or spines, possess weak or absent lateral lines, deciduous cycloid scales, abdominal pelvic fins, large scales; some Australian freshwater species are brightly colored; some “phallus fishes” have priapium on male throats for holding females. |
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Definition
| Silversides/rainbow fishes/blueeyes/surf sardines/phallostethids |
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