TAXONOMY & BIOLOGY OF FISH

Definition

FISH: any of a large group of cold-blooded (poikilothermic), finned aquatic

vertebrates. Fish are generally scaled and respire by passing water over gills.

Taxonomy

Three classes

AGNATHA, primitive jawless fish

Lampreys & Hagfish
CHONDRICHTHYES, jawed fish with cartilaginous skeletons
Sharks & Rays
OSTEICHTHYES, fish with bony skeletons
Catfish, Tilapia, Carps

Class AGNATHA

Primitive
No jaws
Cartilaginous skeleton
Scaleless skin
Oral sucker in place of jaws
Predators & filter feeders
Anticoagulating saliva
Fresh & salt water
Some anadromous (SW to FW)

Class CHONDRICHTHYES

Cartilaginous skeleton
Skin covered with denticles (small tooth-like process), not scales
Five to seven gill slits per side
No swim bladder (squalene in liver, specific gravity, 0.86)
Internal fertilization
Spiral valve intestines
Five to seven gill arches
Cartilaginous jaws, loosely attached lower jaws

Class OSTEICHTHYES

Bony fish: with calcified skeleton

Soft-rayed teleost
Spiny-rayed teleost
 BIOLOGY

Anatomy Overview

Integument

Epidermis
cuticle
mucous glands
Dermis
Scales

Scales

Placoid
Ganoid
Cycloid
Ctenoid
Absent

Color
Cells
chromatophores
pigments
iridophores
guanine, reflective substances
Control
endocrine system
nervous system
Cardiovascular system

Two- chamber heart

atrium
ventricle
sinus venosus
bulbus arteriosus

Circulation

Venous blood to heart

hepatic portal system
renal portal system
Heart to gills
via ventral aorta
Gills to body
via dorsal aorta

Red Blood Cells

Elliptical and nucleated

No bone marrow
Main source
head kidney

White Blood Cells

Similar to mammalian
No lymph nodes or GALT
Lymphocytes > neutrophils
Lymphoid tissues
thymus
head kidney
spleen
melanomacrophage centers

Respiratory System

Lungs
Gills
bilateral
operculum

Gill Structures

Gill arches
Primary lamellae (filaments)
Secondary lamellae
 How fish breathe?

Digestive System

Stomach
Intestine
pyloric
middle
rectal
spiral colon (reabsorption of water)
pyloric ceca
Liver (bile)
Pancreas (digestive enzymes)

Nutrition

Species variation
Food
Feeding behavior
time
location
obtaining food
General fish nutrition
protein and lipids > carbohydrates

Reproductive System

Female Male
Ovaries testes
oviduct
no uterus
Fertilization

External fertilization
open-spawners
substrates

Internal fertilization

Breeding

females and males

hermaphrodites

Gestation

Oviparous, egg-laying
Ovoviviparous, eggs develop & hatch within the maternal body
without nourishment from parent
Viviparous, eggs develop within the maternal body, with
nourishment from parent; live-bearer

Spawning

Control
hormonal
environmental cues
seasonal
Ovulation
once/season
more than once/season
Inducible

Sensory System

Eyes (photoreceptor)
Nostril, olfactory rosette (chemoreceptor, smell)
Taste buds on lips, tongue & mouth (chemoreceptor, taste)
Internal ears; pars superior & utriculus (mechanoreceptor,
vibrations)

Sensory System

Lateral Line (mechanoreceptor)

a series of neuromasts (a cluster of hair cells)
Environmental information
pressure, currents, sound, vibrations
How fish swim?

Diagram of forces when a fish swims

Thrust: force in animal's direction

Lift: force opposite in right angles to the thrust
Drag: force opposite the direction of movement
** All lift forces cancel out over one complete tail stroke

Drag is minimized by the streamlined shape of the fish & a special
slime fishes excrete from their skin that minimizes frictional drag
& maintains laminar (smooth) flow of water past the fish.
When Thrust > Drag, we have swimming!

Fins give a fish control over its movements by directing thrust,

supplying lift & even acting as brakes. A fish must control its pitch,
yaw, & roll.
Caudal fin: provides thrust, & control the fishes direction
Pectorals: act mostly as rudders & hydroplanes to control yaw &
pitch. Also act as very important brakes by causing drag.
Pelvic fins: mostly controls pitch
Dorsal/anal: control roll
 WATER QUALITY

Freshwater system
o specific gravity: 1.00

Brackish water
specific gravity 1.01

Saltwater system
specific gravity: 1.02

pH
Ranges
freshwater: 7.0-7.6
brackish: 7.0-7.6
saltwater: 8.1-8.3

Decreased pH

Effects
Inhibits Nitrosomas & Nitrobacter
Direct health problems for fish

Control
Check bioload
Remove wastes
Calcium rich substrate
Sodium bicarbonate
Temporary

Oxygen

Water: 0.7% dissolved oxygen

Oxygen solubility decreases as:
temperature increases
salinity increases
Low oxygen effects:
respiratory distress in fish
inhibits Nitrosomas and Nitrobacter
Replenished by:
air : water interface
aeration system
Monitored as Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

Temperature

Preferred ranges: variable

0 45 C
Temperature changes should be gradual
no more than 1 C/ 2 minutes in tank
no more than 2 -3 C between tanks

Chlorine/ Chloramines

Toxic/ lethal to fish

 Removal
aeration and time
sodium thiosulfate
carbon filter

Heavy Metals

Toxic/lethal to fish
Sources
metal pipes
metal tank frames
metal decoration
Saltwater
extremely corrosive to metals

Filtration

Mechanical filtration
Chemical filtration
Biological filtration

Mechanical Filtration

Physically traps suspended particles

Sand, gravel, floss, plastic, diatomaceous earth

Chemical Filtration

Chemically binds and removes dissolved compounds

Charcoal, protein skimmer, UV, ozone

Biological Filtration

Nitrification
bacteria
substrates:
plastic, gravel, live rock, decorations

SOCIAL BEHAVIORS

Species specific"
Intraspecies Behavior

Interspecies Behavior

???!

Environmental Behavior

Geotaxis (gravity)
Phototaxis (light)
Electrotaxis (electric field)
Rheotaxis (current)
Chemotaxis (chemical stimuli)