Biol 419 Lecture 11 Outline Fall 2025

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions related to various fish orders and their characteristics studied in Biol 419.

Syngnathiformes

An order of fish known for its elongated body, often encased in bony rings, and a small, tube-like mouth. Key characteristics include male brooding of eggs (e.g., seahorses carry eggs in a pouch) and a primary habitat in estuarine, coastal marine, and some freshwater environments. This order includes pipefishes and seahorses.

Scorpaeniformes

An order of 'cheeked fishes' named for the suborbital stay, a bone extending from below the eye across the cheek to the preopercle. They are characterized by numerous spines, especially projecting from the head, and often have large, fan-like pectoral fins. Many species possess venomous spines. They are highly diverse in habitat, found from shallow tropical reefs to deep-sea and temperate waters. This order includes scorpionfishes, rockfishes (like Sebastes), and lionfishes.

Perciformes

The largest and most diverse order of fishes, encompassing 148 families and over 9,300 species. They are chiefly characterized by a pelvic fin formula of I, 5 (one spine and five soft rays), typically located thoracically or abdominally. Their dorsal and anal fins often have distinct spiny and soft-rayed portions, and their scales are commonly ctenoid. This extremely diverse group inhabits marine, brackish, and freshwater environments worldwide, and includes species like bass, perch, snappers, groupers, and tuna.

Carangiformes

An order of highly active, often schooling fishes, typically characterized by their compressed or fusiform bodies, deeply forked caudal fins, and often prominent scutes along the lateral line near the tail. They are generally fast-swimming predators found in marine and estuarine environments, particularly in tropical and subtropical waters. This order includes jacks, pompanos, and dolphinfishes (mahi-mahi).