living fish families

Question 1

how many fish families are there

Answer 1

556

Question 2

how many families represent 30% of all species and what are they

Answer 2

7
cyprinidae
gobiidae
characidae
cichlidae
labridae
loricariidae
serranidae
**these are all teleosts

Question 3

main subclass in Chondrichthyans and its subdivisions

Answer 3

Subclasses Elasmobranchii (1268 spp.; sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish)
- Holocephali (55 spp.; chimaeras)
- Can be broadly divided into sharks and rays:
-Subdivision Batoidea (rays, skates and sawfish)
-Subdivision Selachii (sharks)

Question 4

what stereotypical bodyform do all batoids share

Answer 4

enlarged pectoral fins fused to a flattened body
gill slits on ventral surface
pair of spiracles on dorsal surface

Question 5

how many orders of batoids are there and what are they

Answer 5

4
- rajiformes (skates) - most abundant
- myliobatiformes (sting rays, eagle rays)
- rhinopristiformes (guitarfishes, sawfishes)
- torpediniformes (electric rays)

Question 6

what waters are skates and rays most abundant in

Answer 6

skates = deep / temperate waters
rays = shallow / tropic waters

Question 7

how many orders of selachii are there and what are they

Answer 7

8
- Carcharhiniformes (requiem sharks)
- squaliformes (sleeper sharks, dogfish)
- orectolobiformes (carpet sharks)
- squatiniformes (angel sharks)
- lamniformes (mackerel sharks)
- heterodontiformes (bullhead sharks)
- pristiophoriformes (sawsharks)
- hexanchiformes (cow and frill sharks)

Question 8

how many species are in requiem sharks (Family Carcharhinidae)

Answer 8

61 spp.
e.g. reef, silky, Galapagos, whalers,
bull, oceanic whitetip, tiger, lemon, blue..

Question 9

how many species are in mackerel sharks (Lamniformes)

Answer 9

• 16 species in 7 families, including goblin shark and megamouth sharks (both monotypic families)
• Alopiidae Thresher sharks, 3 spp.
• Cetorhinidae 1 species: the basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus
• Lamnidae 5 spp. Great white, salmon shark, longfin mako, porbeagle

Question 10

4 uk shark species

Answer 10

Blue shark
Dogfish
Nurse shark
Tope shark
Basking shark
Thresher
Porbeagle
Mako

Question 11

what percent of all living species are teleosts

Answer 11

96%

Question 12

TELEOSTEI subdivision

Answer 12

Subdivision Elopomorpha (~804 spp.) Eels, tarpon - All share the leptocephalus larval form

Question 13

what’s common about all species in Subdivision Elopomorpha

Answer 13

All share the leptocephalus larval form

Question 14

4 families within the Order Anguilliformes

Answer 14

Anguillidae - Freshwater eels
Congridae - Congers and garden eels
Muraenidae - Moray eels
Ophichthidae - Snake eel

Question 15

what uk species can we see in Order Anguilliformes

Answer 15

Congers
Freshwater eels

Question 16

3 families within Order Osteoglossiformes

Answer 16

Arapaimidae
Mormyridae - Elephantfishes
Osteoglossidae - Arowanas

Question 17

2 families within Order Clupeiformes

Answer 17

Clupeidae - Herrings, shads, sardines, menhadens (198 spp.)
Engraulidae - Anchovies (146 spp.)

Question 18

what superorder are Freshwaters dominated by and how many orders are in there

Answer 18

uperorder Ostariophysi (ostariophysans)
5, but only interested in 3:
Cypriniformes
Characiformes
Siluriformes

Question 19

within what family is Order Cypriniformes

Answer 19

• Family Cyprinidae: The first of the big seven!
• Largest family of fishes (over 3,000 spp.)
• All freshwater (minnows, carps, barbels, gudgeons, chubs, dace, tench, rudd…)

Question 20

Family Cyprinidae characteristics

Answer 20

• Stomachless and toothless jaws but first family to show real development of pharyngeal dentition
• Most feed mainly on invertebrates + vegetation
• Some are specialised herbivores, eat algae and biofilms, or are filter feeders
• Extremely important food fish, especially in China and India
• 9 of the top 15 inland aquacultured species/ groups in 2020 were cyprinids
• Popular aquarium species: redtail black shark, goldfish, koi…
• Zebrafish (or zebra danios) are important laboratory animals (especially for developmental genetics, toxicology and medical research)

Question 21

Order Characiformes characteristics

Answer 21

• Characterised by well-armed mouths
• Very diverse (anatomically and ecologically) order, including predators, zooplanktivores, scale eaters, detritivores and herbivores
• There are 23 families of characin, including Characidae (the second of the big seven)
• Largely replace cyprinids in South America and most species (>1200) are South American, with ca. 200 African species

Question 22

family Characidae characteristics

Answer 22

Most well-known characids = piranhas, but also tiger fish, pacus and many popular aquarium species, especially tetras

Question 23

order Siluriformes characteristics

Answer 23

• Astonishing diversity (over 35 families and 2,900 spp.)
• All continents, mostly freshwater but two marine families
• Includes some of my favourite fish (catfish belonging to the genus Corydora; family Callichthyidae) as well as some giants

Question 24

family Locariidae characteristics

Answer 24

• Number 3 of the big 7
• Armoured catfishes (over 900 spp.)
• Freshwater, Latin and South America
• Body covered with bony plates and mouth adapted as suckers
• Popular aquarium species (Plecs; an aquarist name for the original plec, Hypostomus plecostomus)

Question 25

explain order Salmoniformes

Answer 25

- Single family: Salmonidae (salmon, trout, chars...) - Northern Hemisphere, but widely introduced in cold waters for sports and aquaculture - Many are anadromous - spending part of their life at sea, but returning to freshwater where all species spawn in a gravel bed in rivers or streams - Most fish die after spawning - Highly valuable in sport and commercial fisheries

Question 26

example of one of the most popular fish in order Salmoniformes

Answer 26

Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar - By far the most valuable UK aquaculture species - In 2020 the UK produced 193 000 tonnes worth $1.3 billion (USD) - Globally, we are a small player however (7% of global production)… - In 2020 total Atlantic salmon aquaculture production was worth over $15 billion! - 51% of these fish were grown in Norway, 29% in Chile

Question 27

explain order Gadiformes

Answer 27

Cods, haddocks, hakes, lings, grenadiers - Includes some of the most commercially important species in the world - 3 of the top 14 fished species/genera in 2020 were gadoids

Question 28

what is the largest order of vertebrates and its characteristics

Answer 28

Order Perciformes - Over 10,000 spp. (~1/3 of all fish), inhabiting all aquatic habitats - Spines in anterior portions of dorsal and anal fins - Most are marine shore fishes, while about 2,000 species (e.g. cichlids) normally ocur only in freshwater, and about 2,200 species occur in freshwater for at least part of their life history - 167 families - Including the final 4 of the big 7: Gobiidae Cichlidae Labridae Serranidae

Question 29

what families of the big seven are included in Order Perciformes

Answer 29

Gobiidae Cichlidae Labridae Serranidae

Question 30

family Cichlidae characteristics

Answer 30

- Gondwanan distribution (during pangea) - Central and South America, Texas (1 sp,), West Indies, Africa, Madagascar, Syria, Israel, Iran, Sri Lanka, and coastal southern India - Although there are many New World species of cichlid, the majority of cichlid species are African. - Species flocks: a group of species sharing a common ancestral species - evolve when a newly created habitat is colonised by the ancestral species - There are extremely diverse species flocks of cichlids in three of the African Great Lakes: Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria

Question 31

what are species flocks

Answer 31

a group of species sharing a common ancestral species - evolve when a newly created habitat is colonised by the ancestral species

Question 32

what 3 African lakes can we see extremely diverse species flocks of cichlids

Answer 32

Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria - It is highly likely that in each lake, most or all of the endemic cichlids share a common ancestor - The morphological and ecological divergence from such an ancestor is astounding considering Tanganyika and Malawi are only 2-10 million years old! - Members of the species flocks occupy all trophic levels, with morphologies to match!

Question 33

family Gobiidae characteristics

Answer 33

>1700 spp. - Chiefly marine and brackish, some species are catadromous - Very common in tropical and subtropical waters, but can be seen around the UK. - Pelvic fins fused into an adhesive disc, when well developed - Common british gobies: common, sand, balck, rock, two-spotted

Question 34

family Labridae characteristics

Answer 34

Wrasses, 512 spp. - Marine, often brightly coloured - Common in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters - Many common UK species - Sexually dimorphic; many species capable of changing sex - Juveniles are a mix of males and females (initial phase); largest adults become males (terminal phase) with territories

Question 35

family Serranidae characteristics

Answer 35

- Groupers, sea basses, 537 spp. - NB European sea bass is in family Moronidae! - Carnivorous - Tropical, subtropical waters - common on coral reefs, especially - Can be important food fish

Question 36

Order Pleuronectiformes characteristics

Answer 36

flatfish - Adults not bilaterally symmetrical - In most species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through and around the head during development - Some species face their left sides upward, some face their right sides upward, others face either side upwards - Mostly marine, occasionally enter freshwater - includes Family Pleuronectidae

Question 37

Family Pleuronectidae characteristics

Answer 37

103 spp. - Right-eyed - Strong physiological colour change - Plaices, flounders, soles, halibuts, turbots, dabs... - Important commercial fisheries

Question 38

how can we play the odds on identifying fish in the UK

Answer 38

- if it looks like a chondricthyan, probably s scyliorhinidae (dogfish) - in freshwater - does it have teeth: no = cyprinidae, yes = some sort of perciform - marine: -gobidae (small, benthic) -gadidae (3 dorsal fins) -labridae (labriform swimming) -pleuronectidae (flatfish, Right-eyed)