Ichthyological terms, not general ones.
The membrane, sometimes referred to as the gill membrane, connecting the branchiostegal rays and enclosing the ventral portion of the branchial cavity. Normally extended when the opercle of a fish is open, sealing the branchial cavity and creating a vacuum in the mouth, and also used during threat, courtship and other communicative behaviours in many species.
Used in 5 profiles
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
Major bone of the pectoral girdle. Extends upward from the pectoral fin base and forms the rear margin of the branchial cavity. Articulates with the supracleithrum dorsally, the scapula and coracoid ventrally. Also known as proscapulum.
Used in 4 profiles
Form of camouflage in which an organism possesses darker pigmentation on the parts of the body exposed to light and paler on those normally shaded. Many fishes are coloured darker dorsally and lighter ventrally for this purpose.
Used in 4 profiles
A membrane, paired, bone in the upper jaw, located ventrally on the skull. Some fishes, such as serrasalmids, possess small tooth-like projections known as ectopterygoid teeth on this bone.
Used in 4 profiles
Mouth located on the ventral surface of the head and oriented downwards.
Used in 7 profiles
Ridgelike structure located on the ventral surface, caudal peduncle or caudal fin base in certain fishes.
Used in 35 profiles
A transverse, hollow, pouch-like structure opening anteriorly and located on the ventral surface, immediately posterior to the mouth, in some members of certain balitorid genera, e.g., Gastromyzon, Neogastromyzon.
Used in 13 profiles
Fin rays forming the dorsal or ventral margins of the caudal fin, supported by the supported by the hypural and parahypural.
Used in 1 profile
Paired bone attached to the pterygials, actinosts or radials of the pectoral fin. Articulates ventrally with the coracoid and anteriorly with the cleithrum.
Mouth oriented and opening primarily forward but also somewhat ventrally, i.e., the upper jaw and snout clearly extend beyond the lower jaw
Used in 8 profiles
A membranous sac containing yolk attached to the ventral surface of embryos and early larvae in some fishes. Retained for a period post-hatching in those species which form yolk sac larvae.
Used in 221 profiles
Post-hatching larval stage occurring in many fish species whereby the yolk sac remains attached to the ventral surface for a period. The larva does not feed normally until the yolk is fully-absorbed.
Speciation event driven by some form of physical separation, e.g., the formation of new mountain ranges, followed by development of new genotypes and/or phenotypes.
Used in 2 profiles
A form of diadromy in which fishes migrate between fresh and marine water as part of their life cycle for some purpose other than spawning, e.g., newly-hatched, arvae may be swept downstream into the sea where they spend a period of time before migrating back into fresh water to mature and eventually reproduce.
Used in 15 profiles
The number of eggs released by a serial spawner during a single spawning event.
Coding system used to organise and refer to unidentified catfishes, though not necessarily undescribed or distinct species, of the genus Corydoras. Works in tandem with the similar CW number system. The system was invented by German aquarist Hans-Georg Evers and first appeared in the magazine 'DATZ' but is now in popular use worldwide.
Used in 67 profiles
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
Specimen descended from and genetically identical to a single common ancestor with natural examples normally resulting from asexual reproductive events. Produced via parthenogenesis in some fishes.
Used in ichthyology to refer to the number of eggs deposited in a single spawning event, particularly when some form of nest is used.
Used in 10 profiles