Arthropods are different from all other animals because they are eucoelomates with a hard, segmented body. The phylum Arthropoda (jointed-foot) consists of most of the known animals and many are enormously abundant as individuals. The general characteristics of the arthropods include a hard exoskeleton called a cuticle made up of chitin and proteins. This hard exoskeleton gives the organism’s segmented body protection and a place for muscle attachment. Arthropods also have jointed appendages that allow for specialized functions. They have an organ system level or organization and they are triploblastic. There are five subphyla: Trilobita, Checlicerata, Crustacea, Myriapoda, and Hexapoda.

Subphylum: Trilobita

This subphylum (like other

arthropods) have paired

appendages.

They are segmented

without any specialization.

This subphylum are all

extinct (Permian era –

250 mya)

Subphylum: Cheliceriformes

Cheliceriformes all have 6 pairs of

appendages. The first pair is modified into

chelicerae. The next pair are modified into

pedipalps. The last 4 pairs are walking

legs. These animals have one or two body

regions (cephalothorax and abdomen).

These animals do not have a mandible or

any antennae.

Class: Eurypterids

The Eurypterids

or water

scorpions are

animals that are

now extinct. They

were normally

marine and

freshwater

predators.

Class: Merostomata

These organisms

(horseshoe crabs) are

found in shallow coastal

waters. The first pair of

appendages are modified

into chelicerae but the

second pair is not

modified into pedipalps

like other cheliceriformes.

The Horseshow crab’s

larvae look similar to the

extinct trilobites.

Class: Pycnogonida

These organisms (sea

spiders) are usually found

in shallow coastal waters

and many polar oceans.

These animals often have

eight legs (like true

spiders) but may have

extra legs from their

segments being

duplicated.

These organisms include spiders, scorpions, ticks, and mites. Spiders contain modified chelicerae which are used as fangs to inject poison. They also have a special gland that can produce silk used for webs, eggs, escape, and courtship. Scorpions are the first terrestrial invertebrates. Their pedipalps are modified into pinchers and their tail is modified into a stinger. Ticks and mites are parasitic.

Class: Arachnida

Subphylum: Crustacea

Crustacea have two pair of antennae.

Each appendage is biramous (two main

branches). They have mandibles. These

animals have two or three body regions

(cephalothorax and abdomen or head,

thorax, and abdomen). These animals are

mostly marine.

Isopoda

The isopods are the

most diverse

crustaceans. These

animals are found in

terrestrial, freshwater,

and saltwater

habitats.

Decapoda

The decapods

include many of

the familiar

crustaceans.

They are

mostly aquatic

species.

Copepoda

The copepods are

animals that are

among the most

numerous members

of the marine and

freshwater plankton

community.

Cirrepedia

Barnicles are animals

that are exclusively

marine, and tend to

live in shallow and

tidal waters, typically

in erosive settings.

Subphylum: Myriapoda

Myriapods all have appendages that are

uniramous (one main branch). The body is

long with a distinct head. The have one

pair of antennae. These animals also have

a mandible.

Class: Chilopoda

These organisms are

centipedes. They

have one pair of

jointed legs per

segment. They have

poison claws and are

predators.

Class: Diplopoda

These organisms are

millipedes. They have

two pair or jointed

legs per segment.

(Two segments have

fused together). They

are herbivores.

Subphylum: Hexapoda

Hexapods all have 6 appendages, each

pair are attached to a segment of the

thorax. The body consists of a distinct

head, thorax, and abdomen. They have

one pair of antennae. These animals also

have a mandible.

Class: Insecta

Insects are the most diverse of all arthropods. They may have been the cause of angiosperm diversity. Know the orders that are demonstrated here.

Arthropoda Level of Organization Organ-system

Tissue Layers Triploblastic

Digestive System Alimentary Canal with

modified mouth parts

Excretory System Nephridia

Circulatory System Open system with heart

Respiratory System Skin, gills, tracheae or book

lungs

Nervous System Dorsal brain with ring

connected to ventral cords

Body Cavity True

Asexual Reproduction Budding in some

Sexual Reproduction Usually Dioecious

Phylum: Echinodermata

The word Echinodermata means “spiny skin”.

These animals demonstrate secondary radial

symmetry as adults (evolved from bilateral

symmetry back to radial symmetry) while the

larvae stage still exhibits bilateral symmetry.

They are probably more closely related to the

vertebrates because of their deuterostome

development. Unique to echinoderms is the

water vascular system used for locomotion,

feeding and food exchange.

Echinoderm Structures

(P 126 Figure 7.100)

Oral Side: Side with mouth

Arboral Side: side without mouth

Madreporite: opening into water vascular system

Ambulacral Grooves: Radiating grooves that contain tube feet

Pedicellariae: pincer-like organs on surface (see compound microscope)

Papillae: skin gills

Echinodermata Classes Class Characteristics Examples

Asteroidea Pentaradial

symmetry Sea stars

Ophiuroidea Pentaradial

symmetry Brittle stars

Echinoidea Disk-shaped, no

arms, spines Sea urchin

Holothuroidea Cucumber-

shaped, no arms,

no spines

Sea cucumbers

Crinoidea Sessile, arms

used for filter-

feeding

Sea lillies

Class: Asteroidea

Sea stars have five

arms that radiate from

a central disc. They

have an open

ambulacral groove.

The madreporite is on

the aboral side. They

contain both

pedicellariae and

dermal branchiae.

Class: Ophiuroidea

They have five thin

arms radiating from a

central disc. They

have a closed

ambulacral groove.

The madreporite is on

the oral side. They do

not have pedicellariae

or dermal branchiae.

The Sea urchins have no

arms but have five rows

of tube feet. They contain

moveable spines. They

have closed ambulacral

grooves. They

madreporite is on the

aboral side. They contain

pedicellariae and dermal

branchiae. They have

specialized jaw-like

structures called an

Aristotle’s lantern.

Class:

Echinoidea

Class:

Holothuroidea Sea cucumbers are

soft bodied animals

with ambulacral areas

with tube feet. They

have an internal

madreporite. They

have no pedicellariae

or dermal branchiae.

The sea lilies are

attached to the

substrate with

many branched

arms. They have

open ambulacral

grooves. They

have no

madreporite,

pedicellariae or

dermal branchiae.

Class:

Crinoidea

Bipinnaria Larvae

The larvae form is

evidence that this

phyla has evolved

radial symmetry from

a bilateral ancestor.

The larvae form is

used for dispersal.

Echinodermata Level of Organization Organ-system

Tissue Layers Triploblastic

Digestive System Alimentary canal

Excretory System Absent

Circulatory System Reduced if at all

Respiratory System Dermal branchiae, tube

feet, respiratory tree

Nervous System No brain, nerve ring with

radial nerves

Body Cavity True

Asexual Reproduction Regeneration

Sexual Reproduction Dioecious

Phylum: Chordata

The Phylum Chordata

include animals that sometime in their life cycle have a notochord (for muscle attachment), a hollow dorsal nerve cord (to send nervous signals), pharyngeal slits (various functions) and a post-anal tail (movement). The three subphyla are Urochordata, Cephalochordata, and Vertebrata.

29

Subphylum: Urochordata

The Tunicates or

Sea Squirts contain

only the pharyngeal

slits as an adult.

They are usually

sessile and use the

pharynx for filter

feeding.

30

Subphylum: Cephalochordata

The Lancelets contain

all four chordate

characteristics as an

adult. They are usually

found buried in the

sand off our coast.

They are considered to

be the closest relative

to vertebrates.

31

Subphylum: Vertebrata

The Vertebrates are

animals with

backbones. They

contain all four

chordate

characteristics as an

adult with some

modifications. They

are free-living.

32

What is a Fish?

Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are not a mammal, bird, or reptile (It isn’t a monophyletic group).

There are the five major living groups of fish:

Hagfish (jawless)

Lamprey (jawless)

Cartilaginous Fish

Lobe-finned Fish

Ray-finned Fish

33

Superclass: Agnatha

The agnatha are animals without jaws and most lack paired appendages. Hagfishes may also lack eyes and a stomach. They are scavengers that enter natural openings on living and dead fish and mammals. Hagfish find their prey by a sense of smell. Hagfish can secrete large quantities of slime or mucus and can tie themselves into a knot which can also help release the slime.

34

Superclass: Agnatha The agnatha are animals

without jaws and most lack

paired appendages. The

adult lamprey feeds by

attaching its mouth to a fish,

secreting an anticoagulant

into the host, and feeding

on the blood and tissues of

the host.

Lamprey swim upstream to

spawn. They are called

ammocoetes as larva and

are found in burrows. The

larva must go through a

metamorphosis to become

adults where the entire

digestive system must be

restructured.

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Superclass: Gnathostomata

This superclass contains jaws which evolved

from skeletal supports of the pharyngeal

slits.

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Class: Chondrichthyes

The class chondrichthyes all lack true bone and have a skeleton made of cartilage which is not a primitive characteristic. Their tough skin is covered with placoid scales. Males have a structure called claspers which aren’t seen in females.

The two subclasses in this class are Elasmobranchii (the sharks, skates, and rays) and the Holocehphali (the ratfish)

37

Shark Reproduction

Male and female sharks can easily be told apart. Male sharks have claspers which are extensions of the pelvic fins used to transfer sperm. There is also three different types of shark egg development. They are:

Viviparity: the mother feeds the “babies” by a placenta

Oviparity: the mother deposits eggs in the ocean

Ovoviviparity: the eggs are retained in mom but without any nourishment from the mother.

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Order: Selachiformes

Great White Sharks The Great White Shark

measures up to 20 feet and can weigh up to 4200 lbs. They usually eat large bony fish, smaller sharks, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. They are found in almost all coastal and offshore waters between 54 to 75 degrees F. The Great White has been labeled a “man eater” but in the last 100 years more people have been killed by dogs in the U.S. than this shark. 39

Order: Selachiformes

Leopard Sharks The Leopard Shark

measures up to 6.5 feet and can weigh up to 40 lbs. They usually eat bony fish, crustaceans, worms, and clams. They are found along the coast from Oregon to Baja California. The leopard shark is spotted as a juvenile in the shallows but usually lose their spots as they get larger and move to deeper water.

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Order: Selachiformes

Whale Sharks The Whale Shark is the

largest fish in the ocean and measures up to 66 feet and can weigh up to 7500 lbs. They usually are filter feeders eating enormous amounts of plankton. They are found in along the coast from Oregon to Baja California. The Whale shark can filter 6000 liters of water an hour.

41

Order: Selachiformes

Hammerhead Shark The Hammerhead shark

measures up to 18 feet and can weigh up to 1000 lbs. They usually eat fish, rays, other sharks, cephalopods and crustaceans. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters along the shorelines. The shape of the head is thought to spread their receptors across a larger area making them 10 times more likely to detect prey.

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Order: Batiformes

Skates and Rays Both skates and rays are

flat bottom-dwelling organisms.

Skates have a tiny caudal fin with no stinging spines, each pelvic fin is divided into two lobes and lay egg cases.

Rays have a slender whip-like tail with stinging spines, each pelvic fin contains one lobe and give live birth.

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Broad Skate

The broad skate is known to grow to be just under a meter in length. It is a deep-water skate found in the central and northern Pacific ocean. They feed on mollusks, crustaceans and fishes.

44

Manta Ray

The manta ray is the largest of the rays, with the largest known specimen having been about 7.6 m (about 25 ft) across. It ranges throughout all tropical waters of the world, typically

around coral reefs. Manta rays are believed by some to have evolved from bottom-feeding ancestry, but have adapted to become filter feeders in the open ocean

45

Guitarfish

The guitarfish are mainly found in tropical and temperate waters, traveling in large schools. Most adult guitarfishes reach five or six feet in length. These fish are bottom feeders, preferring small crustaceans.

46

Order: Chimaeriformes

Chimaeras Chimaeras differ from sharks in

that their upper jaws are fused with their skulls; they have separate anal and urogenital openings; and they lack the many sharp and replaceable teeth of sharks, having instead a few large permanent grinding tooth plates. They are often called ratfish or rabbit fish. They are found in cold water often at great depths. The diet consists primarily of benthic invertebrates. The tooth plates are used to crush hard-bodied prey such as crabs, clams, and echinoderms.

47

Osteichthyes The “Osteichthyes” all have a

skeleton made of true bone. Their skin is covered with ctenoid scales. They also have an operculum (a hard covering over the gills), which helps them breathe without having to swim. They also have a swim bladder which helps the body create a neutral balance between sinking and floating. There are two classes in this group: the Class: Sarcopterygii, the Lobe-finned fish and the Class: Actinopterygii the Ray-finned Fish

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Sarcopterygii – Lobe-finned Fish

Subclass: Coelacanthimorpha Coelocanths are lobe-finned fish

with the pectoral and anal fins on fleshy stalks supported by bones, and the tail is divided into three lobes. Coelacanths also have a special electroreceptive device called a rostral organ in the front of the skull, which probably helps in prey detection.

Coelacanth populations have been found near Indonesia and South Africa. Coelacanths are opportunistic feeders, hunting cuttlefish, squid, snipe eels, small sharks, and other fish.

49

Sarcopterygii – Lobe-finned Fish

Subclass: Dipnoi Lungfish are fresh water lobe-

finned fish. Lungfish are best-known for retaining primitive characteristics, including the ability to breathe air, Today, they live only in Africa, South America, and Australia. African and South American lungfish are capable of surviving seasonal desiccation of habitats by burrowing into mud and estivating throughout the dry season. They have a diet of fish, insects, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, and plant material.

50

Infraclass:

Holosteri

In this infraclass, all of the fish are considered to be primitive fish. They are found in brackish conditions. They can use their swim bladders to obtain extra oxygen

51

Infraclass: Holosteri

Order: Lepisoteriformes Gars inhabit fresh, brackish, and

occasionally marine, waters of eastern North America, Central America, and the Caribbean islands. They have a swim bladder that opens to the pharynx that can function as a lung and most gars surface periodically to take a gulp of air, doing so more frequently in stagnant or warm water when the concentration of oxygen in the water is low

52

Infraclass: Holosteri

Order: Amiiformes Amia's are also called Bowfin or

Dog fish. Amia’s distribution is restricted to eastern North America. Amia's swim bladder functions much like a lung, allowing this fish to gulp air when dissolved oxygen levels become dangerously low in the weed beds where it lives.

They are primarily fish eaters, although crayfish can make up a substantial proportion of the diet, and frogs are also consumed.

53

Infraclass: Teleostei

In this infraclass, all of the fish are considered to be the ray-finned fish. They have a movable maxilla and premaxilla and modified muscles that allow them to have a protrusable mouth.

54

Infraclass: Teleostei

• Superorder: Osteoglossomorpha

– Bony Tongued fish

• Superorder: Elopomorpha

– Snake-like scale-less fish

• Superorder: Clupeomorpha

– Physostomes, which means that the gas bladder

has a pneumatic duct connecting it to the gut.

They typically lack a lateral line

• Superorder: Ostariphysi

– Their first few vertebrates are used to pass sound

from the swim bladder to the inner ear for acute

hearing

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Infraclass: Teleostei

• Superorder: Protacanthopterygii

– These are fish that lack specialization

• Superorder: Stenopterygii

– Deep water fish. Bioluminescent

• Superorder: Scopelomorpha

– Deep water fish. Bioluminescent. They have

large eyes and adipose fins.

• Superorder: Acanthopterygii

– They usually have a Pelvic fin spine present.

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Superorder:Osteroglossomorpha

Order: Osteoglossiformes Arowana are freshwater

bony fish. They have a unique structure called a “bony tongue”. This is actually derived from a toothed bone on the floor of the mouth and bite against teeth on the roof of the mouth. They can obtain oxygen from the air by sucking it into the swim bladder which is lined with capillaries.

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Superorder: Elopomorpha

Order: Anguillidiformes

Morey Eel’s are found in all tropical seas usually in shallow water with their body wedged in a crevice. Morey eels primarily eat other fish and mollusks. Their mouth is often open (and moving) to help water circulate through the gills

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Superorder: Clupeomorpha

Order: Clupeiformes

The anchovy is a small green fish with blue reflections due to a silver longitudinal stripe that runs from the base of the caudal fin.

They are found in the oceans worldwide. Anchovies exhibit a special way of feeding called planktivory. These fish swim through the water with their large mouths open and strain out small organisms (plankton) with fine, sieve-like structures called gill rakers.

59

Superorder: Clupeomorpha

Order: Clupeiformes

The sardines are a fish found worldwide (but named after an island in the Mediterranean). They are also called pilchards. Sardines are packed with nutrients (omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D, Calcium, B-12, and protein).

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Superorder:Ostariophysi

The superorder: Ostariophysi are fish that have two main characteristics: they release an alarm substance and their first few vertebrates are used to pass sound from the swim bladder to the inner ear for acute hearing.

In this lab it includes the 1) Loachs, 2) Characins, 3) Knifefish, and 4) Catfish

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Superorder: Ostariphysi

Order: Cypriniformes The Loaches are small

benthic freshwater fish. Loaches are mostly scavengers and are omnivorous, usually not very picky about their food. Many live in waters of generally poor quality and some have adapted to less-than-ideal water conditions by being able to gulp up atmospheric oxygen from the air.

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Superorder: Ostariphysi

Order: Characiformes Piranha are carnivorous fresh

water fish living in South American Rivers. They are normally only 6-10 inches long. They are known for their sharp teeth and an aggressive appetite for meat. They generally pose no threat to humans. Humans frequently swim in piranha-infested waters without attacks. Their aggressiveness may increase due to limited food but rarely do they eat animals much larger than themselves. They have similar abilities to sharks to detect blood in the water.

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Superorder: Ostariphysi

Order: Characiformes

Hatchet Fish are a deep sea fish that get their name from their thin, hatchet-shaped body. Like other deep sea fish, they have the ability to create their own lighting process known as bioluminescence. Since the photophores (organs producing light) point downward, it is believed they use them for counter illumination to avoid predators from below.

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Superorder: Ostariphysi

Order: Cymnotiformes

The Knife fish are

primarily freshwater

inhabitants and have

organs derived from

muscle cells that are

adapted to the

generation of electric

fields.

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Superorder: Ostariphysi

Order: Siluriformes The Catfish are named for their

prominent barbels, which give the image of cat-like whiskers. Unlike other fish, There are armour-plated types and also naked types, neither having scales. The glass catfish are transparent because, like all catfish they do not have scales and they also don't have body pigment. The glass catfish turns milky white when dead, suggesting it does something during its life to keep it transparent

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Superorder: Protacanthopterygii

The Superorder: Protacanthopterygii are

fish that lack specialization. They are

important game fish

In this lab it includes 1) Salmon, 2) Pike and

3) Smelt

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Superorder: Protacanthopterygii

Order: Salmoniformes Salmon are typically

anadromous: they are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce. Both Atlantic and Pacific Salmon are important to recreational fishing around the world. Currently in California, Salmon fishing has been suspended because the numbers of fish are dangerously low.

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Superorder: Protacanthopterygii

Order: Salmoniformes Trout are found in the

subfamily along with

salmon. Trout have fins

entirely without spines, and

all of them have a small

adipose (fatty) fin along the

back, near the tail. Trout

are found in clear streams

and lakes but are often

anadromous (like salmon).

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Superorder: Protacanthopterygii

Order: Esociformes Pike have the elongated,

torpedo-like form of predatory fishes, with sharply-pointed heads and sharp teeth. They devour fish up to one-third of their own size. Pike are cannibalistic; some 20% of their diet consists of pikes smaller than themselves. Pike have little respect for relative size and as a result have been known to bite swimmers and divers.

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Superorder: Protacanthopterygii

Order: Osmeriformes Smelt are small

anadromous fish. Smelt has a character odor, similar to the smell of cucumbers. Smelt roe is bright orange in color, and is often used to garnish sushi.

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Superorder: Stenopterygii

Order: Stomilliformes Dragonfish are among the

fish known as deep water fish. Like other deep water fish, they are capable of bioluminescence. Unlike other bioluminescent creatures, they can glow and perceive a red or blue-green light (most species only perceive blue light) which allows it to see its prey before they are seen.

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Superorder: Scopelomorpha

Order: Myctophiformes

The lantern fish are found

in the deep sea. Like

other deep water fish,

they are bioluminescent.

They are a very common

deep water fish and they

make up about 65% of

the deep sea biomass.

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Superorder: Scopelomorpha

Order: Myctophiformes The Superorder: Acanthopterygii are

fish that have spiny fins.

In this lab it includes the rest of the fish in

lab.

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Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Mugiliformes Mullet are ray-finned fish

found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and in some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food. Mullet does not keep well after it is caught. If kept on ice it may remain edible for approximately 72 hours.

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Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Antheriniformes Silversides are ray-finned

fish which usually have two dorsal fins, the first with flexible spines, and an anal fin with one spine at the front. The lateral line is typically weak or absent.

Mosquito fish may now be the most widespread freshwater fish in the world, having been introduced as a biocontrol (to control mosquitoes).

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Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Antheriniformes Grunion are famous marine

bony fish found spawning on the sandy beaches of southern California. At night, from March through September, females burrow backwards in the sand to lay their eggs just after the highest tides. They occur on the second through fourth nights after the full or new moons. Each female is accompanied by several males which come to fertilize the eggs.

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Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Beloniformes Flying fish are a marine

fish. Their most striking feature is their pectoral fins, which are unusually large, and enable the fish to take short gliding flights through the air, above the surface of the water, in order to escape from predators.

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Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Cyprinodontiformes Desert Pupfish are an

endangered species due to introduced species and habitat destruction/fragmentation. Desert pupfish are well-adapted to the rapid water temperature changes (can tolerate from 50-100 degrees F) and high salinity they experience in their habitat.

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Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Stephanoberyciformes

Ridgeheads are also known as bigscales, are a small, deep-sea fish. These fish are named for their large scales and pronounced cranial ridges. The family is sometimes termed pseudoceanic because, rather than having an even distribution in open water, ridgeheads occur in significantly higher abundances around structural oases, notably seamounts and over continental slopes. 80

Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Gobiesociformes Clingfishes are ray-finned

fish where in most species the pelvic fins are modified into a sucking disc. Most species are marine, being found in shallow waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

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Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Gasterosteiformes Sticklebacks are ray-finned

fish that have no scales, although some species have bony armour plates. They are closely related to pipefish and seahorses. Niko Tinbergen's studies of the behaviour of this fish were important in the early development of ethology as an example of a fixed action pattern.

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Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Synganthiformes Sea Horses and Pipefish

are notable because they are the only species in which males become “pregnant”. The males have brood pouches which the female uses an ovipositor to deposit the eggs. It is believed that the pouch regulates salinity for the eggs. These fish are recognizable because of their shape They have this shape to help them hide in the sea grass.

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Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Tetradontiformes Porcupine fish are

recognizable for their

shape. They are often

confused with puffer fish

but porcupine fish have

spines. They blow up like

this to avoid predators.

They get this shape by

swallowing water (or air)

which limits what can eat

them.

84

Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Tetradontiformes Cowfish are recognizable for

their shape. They look this way

because The hexagonal plate-

like scales of these fish are

fused together into a solid,

triangular, box-like carapace,

from which the fins and tail

protrude. Because of these

heavy armoured scales, Cowfish

are limited to slow movements,

but few other fish are able to eat

the adults.

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Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Pleuronectiformes Halibut are flatfish from

the family of the right-eye flounders. When the Halibut is born the eyes are on both sides of its head so it has to swim like a salmon. After about 6 months one eye will migrate to the other side of its head so they lay on the bottom for camouflage.

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Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Scorpaeniformes Sculpin are bottom

feeders that are generally not considered good to eat, and have sharp spines rather than scales. They use their large pectoral fins to stabilize themselves on the floor of flowing creeks and rivers.

87

Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Perciformes Girabaldi are California’s

State Marine Fish. They are found in the Pacific Ocean from Monterey Bay to Baja California. They are associated with reefs and rocky sea-bottoms. They eat mostly invertebrates off the rocks. They have the ability to change their sex multiple times during their life to level out the ratio of males to females.

88

Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Perciformes Striped Marlin are large

oceanic fish that can reach

nearly 12 feet and can

weigh up t0 450 lbs. They

are found in the tropical

and subtropical waters of

the Pacific and Indian

oceans. They are built for

speed in the open ocean

feeding on mackerel,

sardines, anchovy, squid

and crab near the surface.

89

Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Perciformes Wrasses are exclusively marine

in distribution usually in shallow water habitats such as coral reefs and rocky shores. The Sheepheads are found in kelp beds, on coral reefs and among sea grasses. Its strong teeth make this fish an opportunistic predator. Sheephead wrasse establish their own feeding patch which is dominated by one male. When he dies, one of the older and larger females in the group (around 30cm) changes colour and turns into a male.

90

Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Perciformes Ocean Sunfish are the

heaviest known bony fish in

the world. It has an

average adult weight of 1

ton. Sunfish live on a diet

that consists mainly of Sea

jellies. As this diet is

nutritionally poor, they

consume large amounts in

order to develop and

maintain their great bulk

91

Superorder: Acanthopterygii

Order: Perciformes Clownfish all form

symbiotic relationships with

sea anemones. The

clownfish feeds on

undigested matter which

otherwise potentially could

harm the sea anemone,

and the fecal matter from

the clownfish provides

nutrient to the sea

anemone.

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Osteichthyes (External)

Fish have a torpedo shape which allows them to

reduce drag while swimming through the water.

They also have the following structures:

Ctenoid scales: embedded in the skin

Eyes: located on the sides with no eyelids and they do not have

binocular vision.

Lateral line: sensitive to pressure changes

Operculum: Hard covering over gills

Skeletal System: axial (skull and verebrae) and appendicular

(girdles and fins) which are very flexible for swimming

93

Osteichthyes (External)

Fish have many different fins:

Pectoral fins: Lift

Pelvic fins: Lift

Anal fins: Stability

Dorsal fins: Stability

Caudal fins: Propulsion

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Osteichthyes (Internal)

System Structure Function

Muscular Myomeres Small contractions

Digestive Stomach Chemical Digestion

Pyloric Ceca Increases SA

Intestine Absorption of nutrients

Liver Storage, conversion, removes toxins

Pancreas Secretes enzymes

Spleen Immune response

Excretory Kidneys Filtration

Urinary Bladder Holds Urine

Circulatory Sinus venosus Receives venus blood

Atrium Pumps blood into ventricle

Ventricle Pumps blood into body

Bulbus arteriosus Maintains even blood flow 95

Osteichthyes (Internal)

System Structure Function

Respiratory Gills Gas Exchange

Nervous Brain Nervous system control

Spinal Cord Nervous signals

Reproductive Ovaries Produce Eggs

Testis Produce Sperm

Swim Bladder Swim Bladder Buoyancy

96