1/12/2015 seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/bony-fish/scientific-classification/ PARKS KIDS SHOP ANIMALS CARE LANGUAGE Scientific Classification → Scientific Bony Fishes Classification Scientific Classification Habitat & Distribution Physical Characteristics Anatomy & Physiology Senses Behavior Class - Osteichthyes Diet & Eating Habits Reproduction 1. Class Osteichthyes includes all bony fishes. Like all fishes, Osteichthyes are cold-blooded vertebrates that breathe through gills and use fins for swimming. Bony fishes share several distinguishing features: Longevity & Causes of a skeleton of bone, scales, paired fins, one pair of gill openings, jaws, and paired nostrils. Death 2. Osteichthyes includes the largest number of living species of all scientific classes of vertebrates, more than 28,000 species. Conservation & Research 3. Osteichthyes account for about 96% of all fish species. Fishes not included in the Osteichthyes are the Chondrichthyes (sharks and their relatives), the Myxini (hagfishes), and the Cephalaspidomorphi Books for Young (lampreys). Readers Bibliography Subclasses 1. Living Osteichthyes are divided into three subclasses: Dipnoi, Crossopterygii, and Actinopterygii. The subclass Dipnoi (lungfishes) is characterized by an upper jaw fused to the braincase, fused teeth, and the presence of an air-breathing organ that opens to the esophagus. A lungfish's caudal fin is continuous with its dorsal and anal fins. Its pelvic and pectoral fins are long and tubular. The subclass Crossopterygii (coelacanths) is characterized by a type of primitive scale called a cosmoid scale, two dorsal fins, and fleshy paired fins that contain skeletal elements. Scientists used to think that this entire subclass of fishes was extinct. Then in 1938, a living coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) was discovered off the coast of Southeast Africa. Several specimens have since been collected. The subclass Actinopterygii includes all other living bony fishes. Actinopterygians are characterized by fins that are supported by bony elements called rays. Orders and Families 1. All orders of bony fishes end in the suffix "iformes". 2. While there is debate over how certain fishes should be classified, scientists recognize more than 500 different bony fish families. The names of bony fish families all end in the suffix "dae". Genera and Species 1. More than 28,000 species of bony fishes have been documented. It's likely that many more, including some deep-sea species, have yet to be identified. Fossil Record 1. Primitive fishes date back to the Cambrian period, about 550 million years ago. These jawless fishes lived relatively unchanged over the following 100 million years. 2. The Devonian period, about 360 to 400 million years ago, is known as the "Age of Fishes", because of the abundance and diversity of fishes that appeared during this period. http://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/bony-fish/scientific-classification/ 1/2 1/12/2015 seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/bony-fish/scientific-classification/ In the Devonian, fishes began to develop jaws and paired fins. All four living classes of fishes and the three subclasses of Osteichthyes were established by the mid-Devonian. Many species of fish that lived during the Devonian are now extinct. 3. Bony fishes continued to evolve after the Devonian period. Most modern orders of bony fishes probably evolved during the Triassic period, about 200 million years ago. Today, the Actinoptergians are the dominant vertebrates in the oceans and in freshwater systems. The most recently evolved orders of bony fishes include the Pleuronectiformes (flatfishes) and Tetraodontiformes (triggerfishes, pufferfishes, and molas). http://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/bony-fish/scientific-classification/ 2/2 1/12/2015 seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/bony-fish/habitat-and-distribution/ PARKS KIDS SHOP ANIMALS CARE LANGUAGE Habitat and Distribution Scientific Classification Bony Fishes Habitat & Distribution → Habitat & Distribution Physical Characteristics Anatomy & Physiology Senses Behavior Distribution Diet & Eating Habits Reproduction 1. Bony fishes inhabit almost every body of water. They are found in tropical, temperate, and polar seas as well as virtually all fresh water environments. Longevity & Causes of 2. Some species of bony fishes live as deep as 11 km (6.8 mi.) in the deep sea. Other species inhabit lakes Death as high as 5 km (3.1 mi.) above sea level. Conservation & 3. About 58% of all species of bony fishes (more than 13,000 species) live in marine environments. Research Although only 0.01% of the earth's water is fresh water, freshwater fishes make up about 42% of fish species (more than 9,000 species). Books for Young Readers Habitat Bibliography 1. Bony fishes live in fresh water, sea water, and brackish (a combination of fresh water and salt water) environments. The salinity of sea water is about 35 ppt (parts per thousand). Some species can tolerate higher-salinity environments. Some species of gobies can tolerate salinity levels as high as 60 ppt. 2. Fishes live in virtually all aquatic habitats. Different species of fish are adapted for different habitats: rocky shores, coral reefs, kelp forests, rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, under sea ice, the deep sea, and other environments of fresh, salt, and brackish water. Some fish are pelagic: they live in the open ocean. For example, tunas (several species in the family Scombridae, subfamily Thunninae) are pelagic fishes. Some species, such as the flatfishes (order Pleuronectiformes) are adapted for living along the bottom. Certain fishes, such as gobies (family Gobiidae) even burrow into the substrate or bury themselves in sand. Ocean sunfish (family Molidae) are most often spotted at the ocean's surface. Some lungfishes "hibernate" throughout a summer drought season, buried under the mud of a dried-up pond. Several fish species live in freshwater habitats in the darkness of caves. 3. Depending on the species, bony fishes can live at various temperatures. Some live at extreme temperatures. Some desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius) live in California hot springs that reach temperatures greater than 45°C (113°F). At the opposite extreme, some species of bony fishes can survive freezing temperatures of the Arctic and Antarctic. Certain glycoprotein molecules present in the blood of these specially-adapted fishes lower the freezing point of the blood. The arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) can survive temperatures as low as -2°C (28°F). 4. In general, fishes rely on oxygen dissolved in water for respiration. 5. Some species of bony fishes require large amounts of dissolved oxygen. The brown trout (Salmo trutta) requires up to 11 mg of dissolved oxygen per liter (11 ppm, or parts per million). 6. Misgurnus fossillis, a type of loach, can survive in water with an oxygen concentration as low as 0.5 mg per liter (0.5 ppm). http://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/bony-fish/habitat-and-distribution/ 1/2 1/12/2015 seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/bony-fish/habitat-and-distribution/ 7. Mudskippers (family Periophthalmidae) can carry a small amount of water in their gill cavities. They commonly spend time on land, returning to mud holes when their water supply begins to evaporate. 8. African lungfishes (subclass Dipnoi) gulp air into a "lung" for respiration. In fact, these fishes must have access to the water's surface or they will drown. Migration 1. Most bony fishes have small home ranges. 2. Some species of bony fishes migrate great distances. Food and habitat availability, reproduction, environmental cycles and temperature change may be causes of migration for some species. Almost all tuna species are migratory. Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) migrate across the Pacific Ocean from the coast of California to the coast of Japan, more than 8,500 km (5,270 mi.). Data from albacore tagging studies indicate that they travel an average of 26 km (16 mi.) per day. Tagged northern bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) have migrated 7,700 km (4,774 mi.) across the Atlantic Ocean in 119 days, about 65 km (40 mi.) per day. Billfishes (family Istiophoridae) are highly migratory. A black marlin (Makaira indica) that was tagged and released off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, was recovered off Norfolk Island in the South Pacific, more than 10,680 km (6,622 mi.) away. 3. Some bony fish species are diadromous: they migrate between fresh and marine environments. Some fish are catadromous: they live in freshwater environments but migrate downriver to the ocean to spawn. The freshwater eels (family Anguillidae) develop in marine environments then move into freshwater rivers to live. Anadromous fishes live most of their lives in the ocean, but migrate into freshwater environments to spawn. The sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) may travel more than 3,600 km (2,232 mi.) up the Yukon River to spawn. http://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/bony-fish/habitat-and-distribution/ 2/2 1/12/2015 seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/bony-fish/physical-characteristics/ PARKS KIDS SHOP ANIMALS CARE LANGUAGE Physical Characteristics Scientific Classification Bony Fishes Physical Characteristics Habitat & Distribution → Physical Characteristics Anatomy & Physiology Senses Behavior Size Diet & Eating Habits Reproduction 1. Thousands of species of bony fishes are less than a few centimeters long as adults. Among the smallest is the endangered dwarf pygmy goby (Pandaka pygmaea). Adult males reach just 15 mm (0.6 in.), and Longevity & Causes of adult females reach only about 9 mm (0.4 in.). Death 2. Some species can reach tremendous sizes - much larger than a human. Conservation & The longest bony fish is the oarfish (Regalecus glesne), which can reach 11 m (36 ft.). Research Books for Young Among the heaviest of the bony fishes is the common ocean sunfish (Mola mola), which lives Readers throughout warm and temperate seas worldwide. A large sunfish can reach 3.3 m (10.8 ft.) and 2,300 kg (5,071 lb.). Bibliography Many sturgeons (family Acipenseridae) grow very large.