Glossary

125 terms beginning with A · showing 81–120

1. antorbital

   A small, paired dermal bone lying lateral to the nasal bone in front of the eye.

   Used in 2 profiles

2. antrorse

   Pointing or otherwise orientated forward or upward; opposite of retrorse.

   Used in 17 profiles

3. anus

   Opening at the lower end of the alimentary canal through which solid waste is excreted.

   Used in 90 profiles

4. apical

   Refers to the tip or cusp of an oral tooth, or denotes orientation towards the apex or tip of a fin, fin-spine, etc..

5. aplacental viviparity

   Also known as ovoviviparity. Method of reproduction employed by certain fishes in which the eggs are fertilised and develop inside the female but there is no placental connection. The juveniles are free-swimming and able to feed as soon as they leave the female's body.

6. apode fishes

   Fishes lacking pelvic fins.

7. apomorph

   An organism existing in an evolutionary state that represents a morphological advance compared to a previous state. Occurs at an evolutionary branching point and is subsequently carried through only a single descendant group.

8. apomorphy

   A derived character state of a clade; a feature novel to a species and its descendants.

   Used in 2 profiles

9. aquaculture

   Commerical production of marine or freshwater food fish or shellfish under controlled conditions. Sometimes referred to as 'fish farming'.

   Used in 34 profiles

10. aquarist

    A person studying aquatic life or maintaining organisms in an aquarium, whether as a hobby or profession.

    Used in 269 profiles

11. aquarium

    Type of vivarium containing water. Normally transparent, made of glass, plastic or acrylic and used to display, breed or otherwise maintain ornamental fishes.

    Used in 1,715 profiles

12. aquascape

    To arrange plants and other décor in an aquarium, the art of which is a hobby itself for many people. Also refers to the completed display once all décor has been added.

    Used in 6 profiles

13. aquascaping

    The process of or hobby concerned with creating an aquascape or aquascapes.

    Used in 24 profiles

14. aquatic

    Growing, living, or otherwise found in water.

    Used in 920 profiles

15. aqueous

    Of, similar to, containing, or dissolved in water.

16. aquifer

    A subterranean bed or layer of permeable rock, sediment or soil that bears water. Naturally-occuring springs and wells are fed by aquifers.

17. aragonite

    Naturally-occurring, crsytalline form of calcium carbonate with a notable buffering capacity. Popular as a substrate or substrate additive in marine and freshwater aquaria where pH and hardness must be maintained at high levels, and has a more rapid, effective effect than coral sand, for example.

18. Argulus

    A commonly-occurring genus of fish louse.

19. armoured

    Used in reference to certain fishes which have protective, typically bony, plates or scutes on the body, e.g., armoured catfishes.

    Used in 107 profiles

20. Artemia

    Commonly known as brine shrimp; a genus of phyllopod crustacean inhabiting salt lakes and brines. Cultivated as food for aquarium fishes and available live, frozen or freeze-dried. Its newly-hatched nauplii are also a popular food for fish fry.

    Used in 1,159 profiles

21. artesian

    Involving, relating to, or supplied by the upward movement of water under hydrostatic pressure in rocks or unconsolidated material beneath the earth's surface.

    Used in 1 profile

22. artesian basin

    Type of confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure.

23. artesian well

    A well, normally deep-drilled through impermeable material through which water is then rises via natural hydrostatic pressure.

    Used in 1 profile

24. arthrobranch

    A decapod gill associated with the articular membrane between the coxa of an appendage and the body.

25. arthropod

    Any member of the phylum Arthropoda, these being characterised by a (usually) chitinous exoskeleton and segmented body to which jointed appendages are attached in pairs. Arthropods include the insects, crustaceans, arachnids, myriapods, and extinct trilobites, and comprise the largest phylum in the animal kingdom.

    Used in 3 profiles

26. ascending process

    A vertical process on the anterior part of the premaxillary bone in most teleosts.

    Used in 4 profiles

27. Asellus

    Genus of isopod crustaceans in the family Asellidae. Contains the well-known 'water louse', Asellus aquaticus.

    Used in 8 profiles

28. asexual reproduction

    Mode of reproduction which does not involve fertilisation whereby offspring derive from a single parent and inherit genes only from that parent. Known in the Amazon Molly, Poecilia formosa, and some other fish species.

29. assemblage

    A collection of individuals or things.

    Used in 359 profiles

30. astaxanthin

    Carotenoid pigment found naturally in some fishes, crustaceans, microalgae and yeasts. Known to improve conditioning/colouration and used in some fish foods.

    Used in 2 profiles

31. asteriscus

    The smaller of the two otoliths found in the inner ear of many fishes but the larger in members of the family Cyprinidae.

32. attenuate

    Tapering to a point; slender.

33. atypical

    Not conforming to type; an abnormal specimen.

    Used in 1 profile

34. auctorum

    Latin term meaning 'of authors', often used to indicate that a name is being used in the (different) sense of a number of subsequent authors and not as established by the original author. Abbreviated to auct. or auctt.

    Used in 2 profiles

35. aufwuchs

    Adopted German term meaning 'surface growth' used to describe the aggregate of plants, animals and detritus adhering to solid surfaces such as rocks or vegetation in aquatic environments.

    Used in 119 profiles

36. autochthonous

    Originating where found; indigenous to a particular environment or distributional range; native.

    Used in 1 profile

37. automatic feeder

    Automated device used to regulate feeding of prepared foods to fishes in the aquarium hobby and intensive aquaculture.

38. automatic top off

    Automated system for adding water to an aquarium or sump in order to maintain a constant water volume. Particularly important in marine aquaria where salinity increases if water is allowed to evaporate without being replaced.

39. autotroph

    An organism capable of synthesising its own food via inorganic light or chemical energy, e.g., green plants, algae.

40. auxillary scales

    Small scales attached to the body of larger scales.