FISHES

Over half of all vertebrates are fishes. The most diverse and successful vertebrates’

groups, they provided the evolutionary base for invasion of land by amphibians. In

many ways, amphibians, the first terrestrial vertebrates can be viewed as transitional-

fish out of water. In fact, fishes and amphibians share many similar features among

the host of obvious differences.

CHARACTERISTICS OF FISHES

From whale shark that are 18 meters long to tiny cichlids no longer than your

fingernail, fishes vary considerably is size, shape, colour and appearance. Some live

in freezing Arctic seas, others in warm freshwater lakes and still others spend a lot of

time out of water entirely. However varied, all fishes have important characteristics

in common;

1. Gills

Fishes are water-dwelling creatures and must extract oxygen dissolved in the water

around them. They do this by directing a flow of water through their mouth and

across their gills. The gills are composed of fine filaments of tissues that are rich in

blood vessels. They are located at the back of the pharynx and are supported by arches

of cartilage. Blood moves through the gills in opposite direction to the flow of water

in order to maximize the efficiency of oxygen absorption.

2. Vertebral column

All fishes have an internal skeleton with a spine surrounding the dorsal nerve

cord, although it may not necessarily be made of bone. The brain is fully encased

within a protective box, the skull or cranium made of bone or cartilage

3. Single - Loop Blood Circulation

Blood is pumped from the heart to the gills. From the gills, the oxygenated blood

passes to the rest of the body, then returns to the heart. The heart is a muscular

tube-pump made of four chambers that contract in sequence.

4. Nutritional Deficiencies

Fishes are unable to synthesize the aromatic amino acids and must consume them

in their diet. This inability has been inherited by all their vertebrate descendants.

STRUCTURE OF A FISH

In order to identify a fish it is necessary to know something about the structure,

especially those parts used in classification.

The shape varies greatly, many have slender streamlined bodies, but others develop

thick, heavy bodies, fitting almost every conceivable dimension. The body is divided

into 3 regions; head, trunk and caudal region. No neck is present but region of back

just behind the head is called nape. The head extends to the posterior edge of the gill

cover or opercle, the trunk goes from edge of opercle to the anus. Several areas may

be found in the trunk. The pectoral (shoulder) area is just behind the opercle and

includes the humeral area, which is the area just above the base of the pectoral fin.The

abdomen or belly is the extreme ventral portion between the pectoral fins and the

anus. The thorax or breast is the ventral area immediately in front of the pectoral fins.
The tail or caudal region is the region from behind the anus extending to the caudal

fin and is not the caudal or tail fin. The more or less slender part of the caudal region

behind the anal or dorsal fin (which ever extends farthest back) and extending to the

base of the caudal fin is the caudal peduncle. The anus is the posterior opening of the

digestive tract and is adjacent to the opening of the urogenital tracts. The general area

of the anus is often swollen.

FINS

Fishes posses several kinds of fins which are usually membranous structures

supported by rays or spines. Rays are modified into soft and hard rays. Soft rays are

slender flexible structures composed of many bony joints and are typically split or

divided at their outer ends. Soft rays at the front of the fin are usually short and are

not divided at their tips and are known as rudimentary soft rays.
In a few fishes, such as catfish and the carp, groups of soft rays may fuse into a stiff

spine-like structure know as hard rays (They are usually barbed). If their membranous

covering is removed their jointed structure will be detected.

SKIN

The skin of fishes contains numerous mucous glands which keep the skin covered

with a shine which is protective, preventing bacteria and moulds from infecting the

delicate skin.

HEAD

Head includes the gill region which corresponds to the neck and throat region of

higher animals. Fleshy part of head before the eye and above the mouth is the snout.

Its length is determined as the distance from the front or tip to the anterior margin of

the orbit. This part contains the nostrils which are a pair of blind pits and function

only as smell organs. Each nostril aperture is divided by a flap or fleshy partition into

an in-current and ex-current opening.

BARBELLS

These are thread-like structures on the head especially around the mouth of many

fishes. Prominent in catfishes but may be bumbs in such fishes as minnows.

GILLS

The gills or branchiostegal membrane is a thin membrane connecting the lower part of

the opercle with the throat or the opposite membrane. It may extend far forward with

a wide attachment leaving, the anterior extension of the throat exposed as an isthmus

or it may form a close attachment with the throat or with opposite membrane.

LATERAL LINE

An external set of sensory structure known as lateral line system. Most conspicuous

part of this system appears as the lateral line commonly seen or the sides of the trunk

and tail region. A pattern of pores related to this system can sometimes be traced over

the head. The lateral line consists of an external row of pores, one on each scale,
which open into a carnal embedded under the skin. The sensory endings of a branch

of the 10th cranial nerve lie in the canal. Lateral line functions in receiving vibrations

from objects thus enabling the fish to swim blindly without hitting objects on its way

and hunting prey.

CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING FISHES

The taxonomy of fishes is complex hence; it has been a subject of debates. Basically

fishes are classified under two super-classes; Agnatha and Gnathostomata.

Agnatha

Phylum: Chordata

Sub phylum: Vertebrata (craniata)

Super class: Agmatha (cyclostomata)

Class 1: Pteraspidomorphi (Fin-shield)

Diplorhima- Diouble ose

Class 2: Cephalaspidomorphi (Head shield)

Monorhima (single-nose) (Fossil form) extinct

Order 1: Osteostraci (bone-shell)

Order 2: Anapsida (no shield)

Order 3: Galeaspida (helmet shield)

Order 4: Cyclostomata (round-mouth)

 Sub Order 1: Petromyzontidae (stone-sucker)

Sub Order 2: Myxinoidea (slimy one)

e.g myxine, Bdellostoma etc.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SUPER CLASS AGNATHA

1. They lack jaws and paired appendages

2. Possess cartilaginous skeleton

3. Notochord persists throughout life

4. Two semi-circular canals are present (e.g Hag-fishes have one semi circular

canal which may represent a fusion of the two canals).

CHARACTERISTICS OF CYCLOSTOMATA

1. Absence of jaws

2. Skeleton is mainly notochord but partly cartilage

3. Possession of ring mouth as in lamprey and Hag-fish

4. All modern cyclostomes are parasites or scavengers at the adult stage but

larval stages feed on microscopic materials using the endostyle as in the

amphioxus.

5. Adults are eel-like animals measuring 30cm long, feeds as parasite for about 2

½ years in the sea.

 6. The egg develops to amocoete larva which lacks the sucker and lives borred

in the mud thereby feeding on micro-organisms for about 5 years it

metamorphoses into the adult stage which migrate downstream in the sea.

MYXINI CHARACTERISTICS

1. They posses mouth with four pairs of tentacles

2. Olfactory sees that are open to mouth cavity are present

3. 5 to 15 pairs of gills are present (e.g Hag-fish).

SUPERCLASS: GNATHOSTOMATA

1. They possess hinged jaws ad pair of appendages

2. Notochord may be replaced by vertebral column

3. Three semicircular canals are present.

Outline classification of Gnathostomata

Phylum: Chordata

Sub Phylum: Vertebrata (craiata)

Super class: Gnathostomata

Class 1: Placodermi

Class 2: Chondrichthyes

Sub class 1: Elasmobranchi

Sub class 2: Holocephali

Sub class 3: Osteichthyes

Sub Class 1: Acanthodi

Sub Class 2: Crossopterygii

Sub Class 3: Dipnoi (Dipneusti)

The gnathostomata is made of two important classes of fishes as follows;

1. Class Chondrichthyes characteristics

i. They are commonly called cartilaginous fishes because the notochord is

replaced by cartilaginous skeleton, throughout adults life.

ii. They are mainly marine in habitat but some species have re-colonized

freshwater bodies

iii. The endoskeleton is entirely cartilaginous calcification of the bones occur

in some species but no ossification hence there is no complete formation of

bone

iv. The skin could be naked or covered with tooth-like replaceable scales

known as placoid scales.

v. Paired fins (pectoral and pelvic) are present

vi. Three semi-circular canals are present in the ear on each side of the head

vii. Gill arches are cartilaginous and internal

viii. Gill arches not firmly united to form brain-case but joined to it by

connective tissues (i.e no opercula formed).

ix. Males’ possess pelvic intromitent organ which aid internal fertilization

x. Cloaca is present

xi. Air/swim bladder is absent

xii. The tail fin has large upper lobe (heterocercal tail)

Examples of the class Chondrichthyes include sharks, skates’ rays, etc.

The class Chondrichthyes is sub-divided into two sub-classes as follows;

a. Subclass Elasmobranchi characteristics

i. Cartilaginous skeleton is present throughout life (or sometimes, partially

ossified bone is present)

ii. Placoid scales are present or no scales found at all.

iii. They are mainly carnivorous or scavengers which feed on bottom-dwelling

invertebrates e.g sharks, skates, rays, etc.

b. Subclass Holocephali (characteristics)

i. Operculum (gill cover) is present

ii. lack scales

teeth are modified into crushing organs

lateral line receptors are found in an open grove e.g Rat-fishes.

 2. Class Osteichthyes (Bonyfishes) Characteristics

i. These are commonly called bony fishes (e.g Tilapia spp.)

ii. The notochord is replaced by bony vertebrates in the adults

iii. The gill arches are also bony. The gill clefts have a common opening to

the outside through gill covers (i.e single operculum is present)

iv. Scales when present are non-replaceable

v. No cloaca, rather a urinogenital aperture opens behind the anus

vi. They have 3 semi-circular canals in the ear on each side of the head.

vii. Paired nostrils and paired fins are also present

viii. Lungs or swim bladder is normally present.

The class Osteichthyes is divided into two sub-class as follows;

a. Sub-class Crossopterygii

They are known as muscular-lobed fishes with paired fins which contains fleshy lobes

and have bony skeletal supports. The only living representative is Latimeria. They

have vestigial swim bladder (or primitive pneumatic sac) which are used as lungs.

They also possess conical teeth and lobed fins.

It is believed that primitive amphibian evolved from this stock of fish. However in

1938, some fishermen of South Africa caught the Coelacanths as the living

representative of crosspterygians.

b. Sub Class Dipnoi (Dipneustic)

They are commonly called lung fishes because their swim bladder is highly

vascularized, thus it functions like lungs of the tetrapods. The teeth are modified for
grinding, they survive in stagnant water bodies by breathing air, but they can not

withstand total drying. The tail fin is normally rounded (diphyceral), and the fins are

lobed or elongated and narrow. The African example is Protopterus annecter found in

freshwater lakes and rivers. In this species, the pectoral ad pelvic fins are thread-like

structures. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins are fused.

ADAPTIVE FEATURES IN BONY FISHES

1. Scales

In the case of bony fishes, the scales are not replaceable and do not increase in

number as the fish grows, but the scales increase in size. Bony fishes have three

types of scales

i. Rhombic meaning diamond shaped as found in Polypterus and

Calamoichthyes

ii. Cycloid (disc-shaped) as found in many bony fishes (e.g Tilapia)

iii. Cternoid (disc-like) with the exposed surface of the scale toothed as found

in scales of Lates and Ctenopoma spp).

2. Movement and Buoyancy;

Bony fishes have swim/air bladder. The gas in the swim bladder can be inflated or

deflated depending on the depth the fish attains in the water. In this way, bony

fishes can stand at water (or at any depth) with no mechanical energy expended.

Cartilaginous fishes have no air bladder hence, their density is heavier than the

surrounding water. To remain in mid-water, a cartilaginous fish swims

continuously. The tail moves from side to side producing a lift force that pushes

the fish forward. The head which is usually heavier has a considerable inertia and

does not move from side to side as the tail. The paired (lateral) fins guide against

rolling.

3. EXCHANGE OF GASES

In fishes, exchange of gases take place at the gill filaments. The filaments are

highly vascularized and they have one-cell thick membranes for easy exchange of

gases.

In most bony fishes, there are four pairs of gills. Each gill opening found on either

side of the head has a common opening to the outside as the operculum (gill

cover).

4. Fish blood has red blood corpuscles and oxygen carrying pigment

(haemoglobin) for distribution of oxygen to organs through single circulation.

5. Fishes have a well-developed central nervous system with brain and spinal

cord as well as spinal nerves.