Fish Vocabulary

Cycloid scales

• Thin, overlapping scales with a smooth posterior edge that are found in some of the more primitive bony fishes.

• Rough, non-overlapping scales that provide protection against predators.

• Scales that are found in reptiles and are characterized by their hard, keratinized surface.

• Large, flat scales that are typically found in cartilaginous fishes.

Cartilage

• A type of muscle tissue found in the heart.

• A translucent, specialized connective tissue that forms most of the skeleton of embryos and young vertebrates.

• A hard, mineralized tissue that makes up the majority of the adult human skeleton.

• A type of epithelial tissue that covers body surfaces.

Ichthyology

• Study of amphibians.

• Study of reptiles.

• Study of fish.

• Study of mammals.

Chordate

• An animal with a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, gill slits or pouches, and a tail at some stage in its life cycle.

• A mammal that gives live birth and has fur.

• A reptile that lays eggs and has scales.

• An amphibian that can live both in water and on land.

Operculum

• The gill cover in bony fish; also a protective plate in some snails.

• A type of fin found in sharks.

• A respiratory organ in amphibians.

• A shell structure in crustaceans.

Anadromous

• Refers to fishes that migrate up streams from the sea to spawn.

• Refers to fishes that live in freshwater for their entire life cycle.

• Refers to fishes that migrate down rivers to the ocean to spawn.

• Refers to fishes that can survive in both saltwater and freshwater.

Ctenoid scales

• Thin, overlapping dermal scales of some fishes; exposed posterior margins have fine, tooth-like spines.

• Thick, rigid scales found in reptiles and birds.

• Soft, flexible scales that are common in amphibians.

• Hard, bony plates that cover the skin of some mammals.

Catadromous

• Refers to fish that migrate from freshwater to the ocean to spawn.

• Refers to fish that migrate from the ocean to freshwater to spawn.

• Refers to fish that live exclusively in freshwater environments.

• Refers to fish that can survive in both saltwater and freshwater.

Ganoid Scales

• Thin, flexible scales of some bony fish; overlapping.

• Thick, bony, rhombic scales of some bony fish; not overlapping.

• Small, round scales found in most fish species; overlapping.

• Large, flat scales of cartilaginous fish; not overlapping.

Caudal

• At or near the head or anterior part of the body.

• At or near the tail or the posterior part of the body.

• At or near the side of the body.

• At or near the center of the body.