Ichthyological terms, not general ones.
In cladistics, a character or trait shared by two or more taxonomic groups but derived from a remote or much earlier common ancestral form and therefore cannot be used to define a clade. Also known as an ancestral state and generally appears at the base level of a cladogram.
Used in 2 profiles
Feeding on numerous food types; having a generalistic diet.
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
Tooth-like projection in the middle of the upper jaw in certain loach genera which may fit into a notch in the lower jaw. Also referred to as dentiform process.
Used in 16 profiles
Genealogical line or lineage. Sometimes used as an infrasubspecific category, i.e., below the subspecies level, to refer to populations or individuals which are not given taxonomic names.
Used in 1 profile
The inability of two or more groups of organisms to interbreed due to the existence of geographical, behavioral, physiological, or genetic barriers. These can be further separated into those being active pre- or post-copulation.
Generic term for any lake formed in a rift valley, but often used in specific reference to a group located in the East African rift, particularly those lying in its western and southern sections, i.e., the African Great Lakes. In the aquarium hobby the meaning of the term is typically restricted even further to include just lakes Malawi, Tanganyika, and Victoria, the latter of which is not in fact a rift lake and is located in a shallow depression between the eastern and western branches of the main rift. These three lakes are famous for the high number of endemic fish species inhabiting them, especially members of the family Cichlidae.
Vaguely-defined, generic term for a variably-sized, natural, usually freshwater, watercourse, that empties into an ocean, sea, lake, or another river.
Used in 1,266 profiles
Strong; vigorous; sturdy. Often used to describe the general body form of a fish.
Used in 246 profiles
General term for the salt concentration of water.
Used in 17 profiles
Genus of aquatic fungi, some species of which attack fishes. Normally a secondary pathogen attacking previously damaged tissue and causing cellular necrosis alongside other epidermal damage. Generally visible as a whitish or greyish filamentous fungus and thus commonly referred to as cotton-wool disease.
A fold or groove located between the lacrymal bone and rostral cap in certain fish genera.
Used in 13 profiles
Measure of the total concentration of both organic and inorganic, microscopic particles suspended in a given liquid. Usually applied only to freshwater systems and measured using a conductivity or total dissolved solids meter with results expressed in units of mg per unit volume of water (e.g., mg/L) or parts per million (ppm). Soft water with low pH generally has low levels of total dissolved solids whereas harder water with higher pH tends to contain correspondingly increased concentrations. Often abbreviated to TDS.
Used in 2 profiles
Genetically determined characteristic or condition; distinguishing feature.
Used in 52 profiles
Combination of generic name, specific, and subspecific names which together form the name of a subspecies.
Upturned, posterior tip or backwardly-orientated process of the lower vertebral column, generally comprised of fused vertebrae; series of bones articulating with the last true vertebra; usually included when counting vertebrae.
Used in 8 profiles
Most popular concept of species in vertebrate zoology. Defines species as members of populations that do or potentially could interbreed and produce fertile offspring in nature, regardless of appearance, therefore somewhat more restrictive than the phylogenetic species concept. In theory species are thus separated from one another by some form of reproductive isolation, though in practice this does not always hold true. Often abbreviated to BSC.
Current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras, immediately following the Mesozoic Era and covering the period from 65.5 mya to the present. Also known as the 'Age of Mammals' due to the great diversification occurring among that group, it's divided into three periods: Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary; and seven epochs: Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene.
Used in 8 profiles
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
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.