Fish Diversity and Classification

Vocabulary flashcards covering key fish taxonomical orders, anatomical features, scale types, tail structures, body shapes, and characteristics based on the lecture transcript.

Clade Sarcopterygii

Lobe-finned fish

Clade Actinopterygii

Ray-finned bony fishes, approximately 95% of all living fish species

Order Myxiniformes

Jawless fish, hagfish

Order Petromyzontiformes

Jawless fishes in Class Petromyzontida comprising lampreys ($38$ described species), which lack paired fins and are frequently parasitic.

Superclass Gnathostomata

The taxonomic group comprising all jawed vertebrates.

Class Chondrichthyes

The class of cartilaginous fishes, including sharks, skates, rays, and ratfishes/chimaeras.

Order Squaliformes

An order of sharks under Class Chondrichthyes that includes dogfish sharks.

Order Rajiformes

An order of cartilaginous fishes under Class Chondrichthyes that includes skates.

Order Chimaeriformes

An order of cartilaginous fishes under Class Chondrichthyes comprising ratfishes and chimaeras ($33$ extant species).

Subclass Chondrostei

A primitive subclass of ray-finned fishes (Class Actinopterygii) containing sturgeons and paddlefishes.

Order Acipenseriformes

An order of fishes within Subclass Chondrostei containing $27$ species of sturgeons and paddlefishes.

Subclass Neopterygii

The subclass of modern ray-finned fishes within Class Actinopterygii.

Order Lepisosteiformes

An order of ray-finned fishes in Subclass Neopterygii containing $7$ species of gars.

Order Amiiformes

An order of ray-finned fishes in Subclass Neopterygii represented by a single extant species, the Bowfin (Amia calva).

Order Anguilliformes

An order of Neopterygii comprising $738$ species of elongated fishes, such as the American eel and moray eel.

Order Clupeiformes

An order of Neopterygii comprising $364$ species, including herrings and anchovies.

Order Salmoniformes

An order of Neopterygii comprising $154$ species, including trout (rainbow trout, lake trout, brown trout) and salmon.

Order Cypriniformes

An order of Neopterygii comprising $3,268$ species, including carpsuckers, common carp, and minnows.

Order Siluriformes

An order of Neopterygii comprising $2,867$ species of catfishes, such as the yellow bullhead, channel catfish, and red-tailed catfish.

Order Gadiformes

An order of Neopterygii comprising $555$ species, including Atlantic cod, burbot (Lota lota), and hake.

Order Scorpaeniformes

An order of Neopterygii comprising $1,477$ species, including scorpionfish, lionfish, and banded sculpins.

Order Perciformes

The largest order of vertebrates, containing $160$ families and over $10,000$ species, including yellow perch, freshwater drum, and great barracuda.

Order Pleuronectiformes

An order of Neopterygii comprising $678$ species of flatfishes, such as halibut and flounder.

Order Tetraodontiformes

An order of Neopterygii comprising $357$ species, including poison puffers, triggerfish, mola mola, and picasso fish.

Greenland Shark

A shark species that reaches sexual maturity at $150$ years and has an estimated lifespan of $400\text{--}500$ years.

Major Fish Anatomical Axes

The orientation axes of fish body symmetry and structure: Anteroposterior axis, Dorsoventral axis, Left-right axis, and Proximodistal axis.