THE
GLOSSARY PAGE
Blinded
by a bit too much science!. Check out our glossary page
and find out what that name or description really means.
A
Abdomen
Belly,
the ventral side of the fish surrounding the cavity containing
the digestive and reproductive organs.
Adipose
fin
Fleshy
finlike projection without rays, behind the rayed dorsal
fin.
Aductor mandibulae
Adductor mandibulae
muscles (english) Paired head muscles originating on the
lateral faces of the quadrate process of the palatoquadrates
and inserting on the lateral surface of the Meckel's cartilages;
the primary jaw-closing muscles of the sharks.
aff.
affinis
= similar, but distinct species.
Airbladder
Gas filled sac located
in the body cavity below the vertebrae
Albino
Lacking
melanin, usually white with pink/red eyes.
Algae
Group of Thallophytes,
the seaweeds and allied forms.
Amphibious
Living
or adapted to life or use, on land and in or on water.
Anal fin
The median, unpaired,
ventrally located fin that lies behind the anus, usually
on the posterior half of the fish.
Anatomy
The
science of the structure of the animal body.
Anoxic
A deficient supply
of oxygen to the tissues.
Anterior
The
head end.
Anteriordorsal
Front of dorsal.
Anterolateral
Pertaining
to the direction or position between the front and side
of an object.
Anthropogenic
Of,
or relating to, or resulting from the influence of human
beings on nature.
Aufwuchs
(
German "surface growth" or "overgrowth")
is the collection of small animals and plants that adhere
to open surfaces in aquatic environments, such as parts
of rooted plants. In both marine and freshwater environments,
algae – particularly green algae and diatoms –
make up the dominant component of aufwuchs communities.
Small crustaceans, rotifers, and protozoans are also commonly
found in fresh water and the sea, but insect larvae, oligochaetes
and tardigrades are peculiar to freshwater aufwuchs faunas.
B
Barbels
Whisker-like structure
on the heads of most catfish.
Bethnic
Sea-bottom
dwellers.
Bicuspid
Ending in two points;
a tooth with two cusps or points.
Brackish
A
mix of salt and fresh water.
Branchial
Pertaining to the gills.
Branchiostegal
Slender
bones which support the gill membranes.
C
Carnivorous
Meat eating, also piscivorous.
Casque
Shaped
like a helmet.
Caudal fin
The tail.
Caudal
peduncle
The
narrow part of a fish's body to which the caudal or tail
fin is attached.
cf.
Conferre: same species,
but with different characteristics.
Clade
A
group defined by at least one shared derived character
or synapomorphy inherited from a common ancestor; a monophyletic
higher taxon, a branch on a cladogram.
Cleithral process
A flattened pointed
posterior extension of the pectoral girdle (most prominent
in the genus Synodontis)
Cleithrum
The
major bone of the pectoral girdle, extending upward from
the pectoral fin base and forming the rear margin of the
gill cavity, also: the principal bow-shaped bone of the
prectoral girlde, dermal in origin, forming the rear margin
of the gill cavity. It articulates dorsally with the supracleithrum
and ventrally with the scapula and coracoid.
Compressed
Flattened from side
to side.
Conspecifics
Belonging
to the same species; individuals or populations of the
same species.
Coracoid
Middle and lower section
of the pectoral girdle.
Crepuscular
Active
at dusk.
Cryptic
Hidden, obscure, little
seen.
D
Depressed
Flattened
from top to bottom.
Dermal ossifications
Small bony skin plates.
Demersal
Sinking
to or lying on the bottom; living on or near the bottom
and feeding on benthic organisms.
Detritus
An aggregate of loosened
fragments.
Dimorphism
The
morphological variations of one species.
Diurnal
Active during daylight
hours.
Dorsal
fin
The
primary rayed fin(s) on top of the body.
Dorsolateral
Extending from the
top to the side.
Dorsum
The
upper (dorsal) surface of the head or body.
E
Ecology
The study of plants
and animals.
Emarginate
Concave;
used to describe the posterior border of a caudal fin
which is inwardly curved; a caudal fin with a slightly
concave margin.
Endemic
Native to a particular
area only.
Entopterygoid
A
paired bone articulating with the palatine in front.
Epibenthic
Refers to organisms
that live on or just above the bottom sediments in a body
of water. These organisms, many of which support commercial
and recreational fisheries, tend to forage on the creatures
that live in or on the sediments.
Estuarine
The
inhabitants of a wide lower tidal part of a river.
Et al. (et
al.)
It is an abbreviation
of the Latin term “et alia,” which means “and
others.” It's used in source citations to save space
when there are too many authors to name them all.
F
Falcate
When the anterior fin
rays are prolonged.
Filaments
Thread-like
extensions on the fins.
Fontanel
The space(s) between
the bones on top of the skull covered by skin.
Foramen
Magnum
(Latin: great hole) is a large oval opening (foramen)
in the occipital bone of the skull in humans and various
other animals. It is one of the several oval or circular
openings (foramina) in the base of the skull.
Fry
Young fish at the age
when the yolk has been consumed and is actively feeding.
Fulcra
Bony
plates.
Fusiform
Spindle or cigar shaped.
G
Genital papilla
A small, fleshy tube
behind the anus in some fishes, from which the sperm or
eggs are released; the sex of a fish often can be determined
by the shape of its papilla.
Gills
The
organs utilized to obtain oxygen from the water.
Gill arches
The bearer of the gill
filaments.
Gill
filament
Structure
on the lower portion of the gill arches.
Gill rakers
Structure on the upper
portion of the gill arches.
H
Herbivorous
A vegetable eater.
Holotype
The
specimen on which the description of a new species is
based.
Humeral process
Bony extension of the
pectoral girdle.
Hyaline
Transparent
or clear without pigment.
Hybrid
The progeny of two
individuals belonging to different species; the progeny
of two individuals belonging to different subspecies of
the same species are not hybrids.
Hyomandibula
Line
of enlarged pores extending posteriorly from the mouth
corners.
I
Ichthyology
The science of the
study of fishes.
-idae
(suffix)
The
family name always ends in -idae, as in Callichthyidae
-inae (suffix)
The subfamily name
always ends in -inae as in Corydoradinae
incertae
sedis
Latin:
of uncertain position (seat) signifies a taxonomic group
difficult to place in the larger taxonomic scheme.
Inferior
Visible only from beneath
the head, usually referring to the eyes or mouth.
Interoperculum
Between
the preoperculum and the operculum, sometimes very small,
and in some Loricariidae bearing spines.
Interorbital
The space between the
orbits of the eyes.
Isomorphic
The
lack of dimorphism.
L
Lacustrine
Pertaining to lakes.
Lateral
line
A
sensory line, along the sides of the body.
Larvae
Young fish in the first
state of development.
Lecotype
Specimen
chosen from a syntype series.
Lentic
Living in swamp, pond,
lake or any other standing or slow moving water, as opposed
to lotic or running waters.
Leucistic
(Of
an animal) having whitish fur, plumage, or skin due to
a lack of pigment.
Littoral
The shallow area along
a shoreline in lakes or sea.
Lotic
Applies
to or pertaining to running water; living in a brook or
river, as opposed to lentic or still waters.
M
Macrophytes
Large
plants.
Mandibular
Pertaining
to the lower jaw. (mandibular barbels).
Maxillary
Pertaining to the upper
jaw. (maxillary barbels).
Maxilla
One
of the two bones that comprise each half of the upper
jaw, displaced inwards by the premaxilla in more modern
Teleostei. It may bare teeth. Also called maxillary which
is also the adjective: plural maxillae.
Medial
Middle
or inner.
Median
Middle or towards the
midline.
Melanin
The
dark pigment that gives the colouring to the fish.
Melanophores
The pigment cells that
permit colour change, and the concentration of pigment
granules within these cells determine the type of colour
that is produced.
Membrane
A
thin flexible tissue.
Mental
Pertaining to the chin,
on the lower jaw, (mental barbels).
Mesethmoid
Bone
of skull separating the nasal cavities.
Metamorphosis
A sharp change in form.
Metapterygoid
Posterior
bone that ossifies in the cartilaginous palatoquadrate
arch. It first appears as a rod of bone with an anterodorsally
projecting process from the middle of the dorsal surface
(6.4 mm). The adult metapterygoid is roughly rectangular
in shape with rounded corners and an anterodorsally projecting
spine that meets the entopterygoid medially in a synostosis
at its posteromedial edge. The posterior end curves dorsally
to form the posteroventral surface of the orbit.
Monophyly
The
term monophyly, or monophyletic, derives from the two
Ancient Greek words µóvoç (mónos),
meaning "alone, only, unique", (phûlon),
meaning "genus, species", and refers to the
fact that a monophyletic group includes organisms (e.g.,
genera, species) consisting of all the descendants of
a unique common ancestor.
Monotypic
Having
only one species, such as a monotypic family of fishes.
Myomeres
The skeletal muscle
tissue found commonly in chordates. They are commonly
zig-zag, "W" or "V"-shaped muscle
fibers. The myomeres are separated from adjacent myomere
by connective tissues and most easily seen in larval fishes
or in the olm.
N
Nasal
On top of the head,
by the nostrils. (nasal barbels).
Neotype
Specimen
which replaces Holotype when lost.
Nocturnal
Active at night.
Nomenclature
A
system of names for the objects of study in any branch
of science.
Nomen nudum
Name without description.
Nomina
nuda
A
designation which looks exactly like a scientific name
of an organism, and may have originally been intended
to be a scientific name, but fails to be one because it
has not (or has not yet) been published with an adequate
description (or a reference to such a description). This
makes it a "bare" or "naked" name,
one which cannot be accepted as it stands.
Nuchal
Area between the skull
and dorsal fin.
O
Occipital
A median bone on the
upper surface of the back of the head; pertaining to the
occiput.
Odontodes
Hair
- like stuctures on the body.
Omnivorous
Pertaining to both
vegetable and flesh diet.
Opercle
The
bony covering of the gills of fishes.
Opisthure
The tip of the vertebral
column which protrudes beyond the caudal fin.
Operculum
The
bony covering of the gills of fishes.
Orbit
The dermal or bony
eye socket; bony cavity in the skull where the eyeball
is housed; the eye socket, usually surrounded by bone.
Osteological
Pertaining
to the study of bones, part of anatomy.
Oviparous
Describing a species
that lays eggs.
Ovoviviparous
Describing
a species that produces eggs that hatch in the mother,
resulting in the delivery of live young.
P
Palatine teeth
The teeth present on
the palatine bone which lies laterally in the roof of
the mouth.
Papilla
A
small fleshy projection, plural papillae.
Paraphyletic
Of
a group of organisms, descended from a common evolutionary
ancestor or ancestral group, but not including all the
descendant groups.
Paratype
Remaining
specimens after Holotype has been selected.
Pectoral fins
The paired fins just
behind the head.
Pectoral
girdle
The
bony or cartilaginous skeletal arch supporting the pectoral
fins.
p.H.
The symbol of relative
alkalinity or acidity in liquid (potential of hydrogen).
Pharyngeal
Teeth
Teeth
located in the throat on the pharyngeal jaw apparatus.
Phylogentic
Descendant lines.
Pelagic
Pertaining
to the open water (ocean).
Pelvic fins
The paired fins, between
the pectorals and the anal fins (also referred to as ventrals).
Phylogenetic
The
study of evolutionary relationships among biological entities
– often species, individuals or genes (which may
be referred to as taxa).
Piscivorous
Fish eating.
Plankton
The
floating organism that drifts with the movement of the
water.
Plicate
Covered in small ridges.
Posterior
The
tail end of the fish. Situated behind.
Potamodromous
Freshwater fish migrations
are usually shorter, typically from lake to stream or
vice versa, for spawning purposes.
Predator
Something
that lives on other forms of life.
Preadipose
plate
It can refer to an
azygous (unpaired) plate-like structure located anterior
to the adipose fin in certain fish species.
Predorsal plate
In front of the dorsal
fin spine.
Premaxillary
In
relation to the premaxilla (an upper jaw bone) e.g. premaxillary
tooth band.
Preoperculum
The anterior bone of
the opercular series, forming the border of the cheek.
Preorbital
The
first and usually the largest of the suborbital bones;
located along the ventro-anterior rim of the eye. Sometimes
called the lacrimal bone; the bone or region before and
below the eye.
Pterotic-supracleithrum
Large combined bone
on the head, placed behind the eye.
Pterygoids
Refers to a pair of
muscles involved in jaw movements: the medial pterygoid
and lateral pterygoid. These muscles are crucial for mastication
(chewing) and contribute to various jaw actions like opening,
closing, and side-to-side movements.
R
Ramifications
Side branches (as on
the barbels on many Synodontis species).
Retrorse
Pointing
or curved backwards or inwards; opposite of atrose.
Rictal
Pertaining to the barbels
on the corners of the mouth (Corydoras).
Rictus
The
opening or gape of a mouth.
Riverine
Only
inhabiting rivers.
Rostral/um
Snout (usually applied
to long snouts).
Rugose
Covered
in ridges, knobs or protuberances, deeply wrinkled etc.
S
Saline
Salty.
Serrae
Sawlike
part or organ.
Scapular
The
shoulder region.
Scutes
Bony covering.
Sensu
stricto
In
a narrow or strict sense.
Serrae
Saw-like notches along
an edge.
Serrated
With
sharp, forward-pointing teeth.
Snout
The part of the head
in front of the eyes.
Spawn
Mass
of eggs laid in water.
Spatulate teeth
Having an end that
is broad and flattened, like a spatula.
Spinous
Spiny.
Standard length
The
standard length (SL) of a fish is the distance from the
tip of its snout or lower jaw to the base of its caudal
fin. This is the most reliable measurement for fish because
tail fins are often damaged.
Subcutaneous
Positioned
beneath the skin.
Subocular
Beneath the eye.
Substrate
Sea
or river bottom/floor.
Sub-terminal
Just below.
Superior
Visible
from above the head, usually referring to the eyes or
mouth.
Supraoccipital
Unpaired bone at the
back of the skull, usually with a crest.
Swim
bladder
The
air sac that gives fish buoyancy and balance. Acts as
sound resonator in some fish.
Sympatric
Referring to two or
more species living in the same or overlapping geographical
area.
Syntopic
Defined
as being similar in appearance.
Syntype
Type series (listed
for new description) of which none have been selected
as Holotype.
Synonym
Different
name for the same fish.
Syntopically
Referring
to a type of analysis in which different works are compared
and contrasted.
Systematics
A
set of things considered as a connected whole.
T
Taxon
According to the Code,
any formal taxonomic unit or category of organisms (species,
genus, family, order, class, etc.). Taxa (pl.).
Taxonomic
Classification
based on similarities of structure.
Taxonomy
The study and classification
of living creatures.
Temperate
Moderate
in temperature.
Terminal
The end point.
Thoracic
Pertaining
to the chest area.
TL
Total length measured
from the snout to the end of the fish (tail).
Troglomorphic
Morphological
characters that are adaptions to living in the constant
darkness of caves, such as loss of pigments and reduced
eyes.
Truncate
Cut off, blunt. (as
in squared off caudal fin).
Tubercles
Tentacle-like
projections.
V
Ventral
The lower surface.
Ventral
fins
The
paired fins, between the pectorals and the anal fins.
Ventrolateral
Extending from below
and to the side.
Vertebrae
The
bones of the axial skeleton; divided into two sections,
precaudal and caudal vertebrae.
Villiform
Elongated cardiform
teeth.
Villose
Covered
with villosities (minute hair-like projections).
Viviparous
Describing a species
that produces living young that have been nourished during
development by their mother.
Vomer
The
anterior bone in the mid-line of the roof of the mouth.
Vomerine teeth
Thin and sharp, more
or less protruding according to the species, the vomerine
crest (Crista vomeris) is the caudal, or guttural part
of the ventral part of the vomer bone.
Voracious
Eating
greadily or in large quantities.
W
Weberian apparatus
Modified 4 vertebrae,
connecting the swim bladder with the inner ear.
X
Xanthic
Relating
to, or tending towards a yellow colour.
Y
Yolk sac
In embryos and early
fish larvae, a bag-like ventral extension of the gut containing
nutritive materials.