Glossary

ray

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Any of the bony spines supporting the membrane of a fish's fin including both spines and soft rays.

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Related terms

Actinopterygii
Class of ray-finned fishes, so-called because they possess fin rays. Contains 95%+ of known fish species.
andropodium
Modified, flexible anal fin rays present in males of some fish species (families Hemirhamphidae and Goodeidae) giving the fin a 'notched' appearance. Not used for insemination like the gonopodium in members of the family Poecillidae but to clasp the female during mating.
breeding tubercle
Raised, epidermal structures developing on the head, body or fin rays during the spawning season in some fishes. Usually occur only in males, and sometimes referred to as 'nuptial tubercules'.
cartilaginous fishes
A fish with a skeleton composed mainly of cartilage; major groups include sharks, rays and skates.
contact organ
Dermal, bony growth or spicule normally protruding from one or more fin rays or scale margins. Present on parts of the body or fins that come into contact with the female during spawning in males of some fishes.
Elasmobranchii
Subclass of Chondrichthyes, also known as cartilaginous fishes, that includes the sharks, skates and rays.
epural
Located on the dorsal side of the caudal fin; elongate bone which supports the caudal fin rays, positioned above the urostyle and posterior to the last neural spine.
fin
Membranous appendage supported by cartilage or bony rays. Used for locomotion, steering, and balance by fishes and some other aquatic organisms.
fin-spine
Unsegmented and unbranched, bony structure supporting the fins in teleosts. Usually hard, rigid and pointed and may have a smooth or serrated edge. Not laterally-paired like rays, and in some species modified to form a protective structure.
fork length
Length of a fish specimen measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the medial caudal fin rays, i.e., the deepest point of the 'fork' formed by the fin. Tends not to be used in systematics.
hypural
Of, relating to, forming or being one of the partially-fused hemal spines that support the caudal fin rays in most teleosts.
hypural bones
Series of bones to which the caudal fin rays are attached.
interradial
Located between two fin rays or spines.
interradial membrane
The membrane connecting fin rays and spines in fishes.
lanceolate
Lance or spear-shaped; gradually tapering to a point. Used to describe the shape of a caudal fin with long central rays.
lepidotrichia
Bony structures that form segments of the soft fin rays in Osteichthyes.
membrane
Thin, usually flexible layer of tissue covering, lining, separating, or connecting cells or parts of an organism.
meristic character
A countable trait, e.g., the number of rays in a fin, gill rakers, lateral line scales, etc..
meristics
In ichthyology, the counting of quantitative characters, such as the number of fins, fin rays or scales.
placoid scale
Tooth-shaped scale-type found in certain fishes, e.g., sharks, rays. Structurally homologous with vertebrate teeth.
principle caudal-fin rays
Fin rays forming the dorsal or ventral margins of the caudal fin, supported by the supported by the hypural and parahypural.
procurrent
Of fin rays, inclined forwards or placed progressively farther forwards.
pterygiophore
Bony or cartilaginous structures via which the rays of the median fins articulate and connect to the body.
soft ray
Segmented fin ray which is flexible and usually branched.
ultraviolet
Invisible, continuous spectrum of light having a wavelength just shorter than the violet end of the visible spectrum but longer than that of x-rays.

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