FISH

by Rheabelle E. Palajos

Ichthyology study of fishes

The fishes are group of distantly related gillbreathing aquatic vertebrates with fins.
They are the most ancient and the most diverse
of the monophyletic subphylum Vertebrata within
the phylum Chordata.
~27,300 living species known
Fishes developed the appropriate physiological
adaptations that enabled them to invade every
conceivable type of aquatic habitat. (marine:
58%; freshwater:41%; or both, 1%)
*Catadromous-born in saltwater, spend most of
their lives in freshwater, and return to the
saltwater to reproduce.
*Anadromous- born in freshwater, moving from

They diversified during the Devonian period

which is also termed as the Age of Fishes.
-Most marine fishes live
landmasses (<200m deep).

along

coasts

of

-Most freshwater fishes live in rivers and streams

rather than lakes and ponds. On a geological
time scale, freshwater lakes are temporary.
-Most fishes (freshwater and marine) live in
warmer environments.

General Anatomy

Reproduction:
At least three modes of reproductionheterosexual
(dioecious) , hermaphroditic (External and internal selffertilization) , and parthenogenetic (unfertilized eggs develop
into embryos) --are found in fishes.

Classification:
Phylum Chordata

Subphylum Cephalochordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Agnatha
Class Ostracodermi
Class Myxini
Class Cephalaspidomorphi
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Acanthodii
Class Placodermi
Class Chondrichythes
Class Osteichthyes
Subclass Sarcopterygii
Subclass Actinopterygii
Infraclass Chondrostei
Infraclass Neopterygii

Superclass Agnatha - Jawless vertebrates

including:
Class Ostracodermi (Shelled Skin)
(EXTINCT) - Jawless fish with bony armor, cartilage
skeleton, heterocercal tail, and flattened body. Most
< 15 cm long, bottom fish that sucked food from
mud. Lacked paired fins. ( first fossil: Ordovician E:
end of Devonian)
Class Myxini - Hagfish - Slimey, eel-like fish.
Class Cephalaspidomorphi - Lampreys

Superclass Gnathostomata-

Vertebrates

with jaws including:

Class Acanthodii- First jawed fishes (jaw from

first gill arch), bony skeleton, two rows of paired fins
on the underside. They have stout ornamented
spines in front of all fins. Less than 20 cm long

Class Placodermi (Plate Skin) (EXTINCT)

- Bony plates in skin, paired fins, flattened bodies,

bottom predators, some 6 m or more. (Dominated
during late Devonian period and completely died out
during the lower Carboniferous period)
Class Chondrichythes- cartilaginous fishes
(sharks, skates, rays).
First fossil: Silurian Period marine deposits
Class Osteichthyes (Bony fish) - Most of our
present day fish are here. Characterized by: Lungs

Class chondrichytes ( Cartilaginous fishes)

2 evolutionary lines
a. Elasmobranchii ( sharks and rays)
-cladosilachian (saltwater)
-xenacanth (freshwater)
-hybodont (ancestors of modern sharks
skates
and rays)
b. Holocephalic (chimaeras)
-strange group of bottom dwellers

Class Osteichythes (Bony fish):

Subclass Sarcopterygii - Lobe-finned - Fins
have bony, leg-like supports
5 Infraclasses:
a. Actinista (coelecanthimorpha)
b. Dipnomorpha (lungfishes)
c. Osteolepimorpha (osteolepids)- int.
between the fish and amphibian.
d. Porolepimorpha
e. Rhizodontimorpha

Class Osteichthyes (Bony fish):

Subclass Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fish.
Infraclass Chondrostei - Have heterocercal tail
and includes sturgeons and paddlefish.
Infraclass Neopterygii - Most present day fish
are in this group. Have homocercal tail, swim
bladder reduced in size and serves as a device for
adjusting buoyancy, highly maneuverable fins,
huge variety of body shapes.

Taphonomy
While fish remains are common in some archaeological
contexts, they tend to be rare relative to the mammal remains in
most sites.
Significant taphonomic factors that influence fish remains:
1.Those that alter the morphological or physical and
chemical characteristics, or completeness of bones
-mineralized cartilage does not preserve well; within bony
fishes some bones are more resistant to deterioration and
modification than others.
carcasses of different species of fish do not naturally decay in
the same way despite almost equal external conditions
the ratio of the size of the body cavity to the mass of the
body determines the mode of decay
-fish bone rarely preserves in acidic sediments, whereas
sediments that are neutral or basic are conducive to fish bone
survival
-coarse sediments can abrade fish remains
2.Those that affect the spatial distribution of bones
-the degree of disarticulation is an indication of how
decomposed fish carcasses were prior to burial; the greater the
disarticulation, the longer the carcasses were exposed to bacterial
action while underwater but on the surface of the lake bottom or

Geological Importance
1. They are important sediment makers.
2. They
may
contribute
information
about
limnology, community composition, life history,
mortality,
depositional
environment,
and
preservation.
3. Modern fish faunas and associated organisms
provide taxonomic, ecological, or functional
analogues for interpretation of ancient limiting
factors and behaviors.
4. Interpretation of fossil skeletal patterns of
disarticulation, disorientation, and displacement
allows the possibility of determining temperature
and depth of lakes, inferring types of lake
stratification (if any) and seasons and causes of
death, and of estimating oxygen conditions and
something
of
chemistry
and
rate
of

THANK
YOU!