|
Anadromous
|
Fish that
ascend rivers to spawn, e.g. salmon. |
|
Axil
|
Usually used
in reference to the underside of the pectoral fin toward the base;
homologous to the armpit of man. |
Benthopelagic
|
Living and
feeding near the bottom as well as in midwaters or near the surface. |
Catadromous
|
Migrating
from freshwater to the sea to spawn, e.g. eels. |
Ciguatera
|
Ciguatera
fish poisoning is a chemical food intoxication caused by consumption
of fish containing ciguatoxin |
Demersal
|
Living on
or near the bottom and feeding on benthic organisms. |
Fork length
(FL)
|
Length of
a fish measured from the tip of the snout to the posterior end of
the middle caudal rays. |
Hermaphroditic
|
Having both
sexes in the same individual, either at the same time (synchronous
hermaphrodite) or at different times (successive hermaphrodite). When
the female form occurs first, this is referred to as protogynous
hermaphroditism, otherwise protandrous hermaphroditism. |
Oceanodromous
|
Migrating
within oceans, e.g. tunas. |
Oviparous
|
Producing
eggs that develop and hatch outside the body of the female. |
Ovoviviparous
|
Producing
eggs that hatch within the maternal body; the embryos may develop
to some extent before birth, but lack a placental attachment. |
Pelagic
|
Living and
feeding in the open sea; associated with the surface or middle depths
of a body of water; free swimming in the seas, oceans or open waters;
not in association with the bottom. |
Reef-associated
|
Living and
feeding on or near coral reefs and rocky reefs. |
Standard
length (SL)
|
The length
of a fish measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the caudal
peduncle, excluding the caudal fin. |
Total
length (TL)
|
The length
of a fish from the front of jaw to the end of the longest caudal ray,
but excluding caudal filaments. |
Traumatogenic
|
Causing an
injury; e.g., sharks that have been reported to attack humans. |
Venomous
|
Capable
of producing a poisonous fluid that is transmitted by a bite or sting. |
Viviparous
|
Bringing
forth living (active, free-swimming) young, rather than laying eggs;
producing live young from within the body of the parent female. |
| Widest
distance |
Widest distance
between the tips of the pectoral fins, as in skates and rays. |
Fin spines (non-segmented hard fin rays) are indicated
by upper case Roman numbers; soft rays (segmented) are indicated by Arabic
numbers.