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Glossary

Glossary

Every technical term used here, defined.

Terms
1,702
With an illustration
23
Cross-references
66
Used in profiles
1,807

176 terms beginning with C · showing 41–80

  1. chela

    Large, pincer-like claw of a crustacean or arachnid, as seen in lobsters, crabs, scorpions, etc..

    Used in 31 profiles

  2. chemical filtration

    Water filtration method by which dissolved chemicals are removed via use of synthetic adsorbents, ion exchangers, insoluble oxides, zeolite, or activated carbon, these usually being placed within the filter unit or sump.

  3. chemoreception

    Ability to detect and differentiate chemical stimuli in an environment.

  4. chemoreceptor

    A sensory nerve cell or sense organ that responds to chemical stimuli such as smell or taste.

  5. chevron

    A v-shaped line or stripe.

    Used in 4 profiles

  6. chiller

    Refrigeration device, normally installed inline with filtration equipment, used to maintain cool conditions in an aquarium. Often used in tandem with a thermostat.

    Used in 2 profiles

  7. Chilonodella

    Genus of unicellular, ciliated protozoa; some species are parasites of the skin and gills in freshwater fishes.

  8. chimaera

    An organism, organ or body part containing genetic tissue of more than one type due to mutation, transplant, genetic engineering, etc.. Also spelled 'chimera'.

  9. chironomid

    Any member of the Chironomidae, a family of nonbiting midges with larvae normally found in freshwater. The larvae of some species are produced commercially for fish food and commonly referred to as 'bloodworm'.

    Used in 342 profiles

  10. chitin

    Nitrogen-containing polysaccharide which forms the principal constituent of arthropod exoskeletons and the cell walls in some fungi.

  12. chloramine

    Any of various compounds containing nitrogen and chlorine, some of which are used as bactericides. Chloramines are often used to purify drinking water because they're more stable than chlorine and produce fewer harmful by-products, but they're considered harmful to fishes.

  13. chlorine

    Highly irritating, toxic, gaseous element of the halogen group typically used as a disinfectant, bleaching agent and in purification of drinking water. Considered harmful to fishes.

    Used in 1 profile

  14. chlorophyta

    Division of mostly freshwater eukaryotic algae, informally referred to as chlorophytes and containing the true green algae and stoneworts under modern systems of classification. Like higher plants members possess chlorophylls a and b and store food as starch.

  15. chloroplast

    A chlorophyll-containing plastid found in the cells of green plants and some algae within which photosynthesis occurs.

  16. chondrocranium

    Primitive, cartilaginous skeletal structure enclosing the brain and inner ear formed in the embryo and usally becoming ossified at a later stage. Retained as cartilage throughout life in some fishes.

  17. chromatophore

    A pigment-containing or pigment-producing cell that can alter the colour of the skin by expanding or contracting.

    Used in 12 profiles

  18. chromosome

    A strand-like structure found in the nucleus of cells that contains DNA and associated proteins. Carries the genes determining heredity.

    Used in 5 profiles

  20. ciliate

    Any member of a group of protozoans characterised by possession of cilia.

  22. cilium

    Microscopic, hairlike process formed on the surface of some cells and unicellular organisms. Capable of rhythmical beating and used for movement by some microorganisms.

  23. circadian

    Of or relating to biological processes occurring over a 24 hour cycle; daily.

  24. circadian rhythm

    A biological process repeated on a 24 hour (daily) cycle.

    Used in 13 profiles

  25. circumorbitals

    Series of dermal bones surrounding the eye, including the suborbitals and supraorbitals.

  28. cirri

    Plural of cirrus.

    Used in 2 profiles

  29. cirrus

    Slender, hair-like, usually flexible appendage such as the arm of a barnacle or fused groups of cilia seen in some protozoans.

    Used in 1 profile

  30. CITES

    Abbreviation for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Drafted in the 1970s to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild.

    Used in 3 profiles

  31. clade

    A group of organisms sharing homologous features, believed to have evolved from a common ancestor following the principles of cladistics; a monophyletic group; a grouping hypothesised on the basis of phylogenetic information.

    Used in 332 profiles

  32. cladistics

    Taxonomical method used to classify species of organisms into clades, each of which contains an ancestor organism and all its descendants, based on synapomorphies (shared derived characters). Cladistic classifications are usually presented in the form of a cladogram.

  33. cladocera

    Order of small, aquatic crustaceans commonly referred to as 'water fleas'.

  34. cladogram

    Branching, tree-like diagram used in cladistics to represent the evolutionary tree of life. Used to depict phylogenetic relationships and show points at which species diverged from their common ancestral forms.

  35. classification

    In taxonomy, the arrangement of organisms into taxonomic groups according to their degree of evolutionary relatedness.

    Used in 50 profiles

  38. clavicle

    Refers to the collar bone in human anatomy. Present in the pectoral girdle of some fishes as a paired, dermal bone ventral to or fused with the cleithrum.

    Used in 1 profile

  39. clearwater

    In ichthyological and aquarium literature typically refers to habitats containing transparent water with no material in suspension or staining by organic material, thus differing from whitewater or blackwater environments.

    Used in 11 profiles

  40. cleft

    Split, divided, or partially divided into two.

    Used in 20 profiles