FORS2355 Vertebrate Natural History
Survey Lab -- Classes Cyclostomata and Actinopterygii
Lab 1 -- Fishes (August 30th and September 6th, 2021)
1. General Morphology -- The fins on the body may be paired (pectoral or pelvic) or medial (dorsal, anal, caudal); the operculum is the structure covering the gill arches and may have species- specific shape or ornamentation; the tail shape (which influences swimming performance) may be described as homocercal or heterocercal; the area immediately anterior to the tail is referred to as the caudal peduncle. 2. Feeding Morphology -- a fishes' mouth may be described as terminal, subterminal, or up-turned -- in addition to understanding how these terms can be used to distinguish different taxa, they also indicate whether the fish is a surface feeder, a benthic feeder, or a predator in the water column. 3. Reproductive Structures -- most fish are oviparous but several among these may breed in habitats far removed from where the species spends most of its lifetime. In males of the Western Mosquitofish, anal fins are modified into a sexual structure known as a gonopodium.
Species Southern Brook Lamprey
Family
Class
Subclass
Subphylum