Fish Friday Mugilomorpha and Atherinomorpha 10/24/08

You are here. At the base of the Acanthopterygii (spiny-finned fishes)‏

Mullets - Mugiliformes  Two dorsal fins, the first with 4 spines  Found in coastlines and estuaries  Schooling fish  Feed on detritus  Shit fish” The endearing name given to them by sailors White Mullet

Atherinomorpha  Atheriniformes BeloniformesCyprinodontiformes  Most successful group of surface-feeding fishes  Unique mechanism of jaw protrusion – premaxilla does not articulate directly with maxilla

Rainbowfish  Freshwater fish  Found in Indonesia/Australia and Madagascar – believed to be vicariance  Popular aquarium fish

Silversides  Two dorsal fins, long anal fin  Found in saltwater and freshwater  Silver sides  Schooling fish Brook Silverside Labidesthes sicculus

Grunion  Swims onto the beach after full and new moons to breed (called a “run”)‏  Female buries lower half of body in sand, male wraps around her

Beloniformes  Mostly marine fishes  Most are elongated Needlefish Flying fish

Ricefishes - medaka  Used in many scientific experiments  First vertebrate to mate in orbit  Glofish – transgenic medaka with glowing jellyfish genes The things we do in the name of science

Needlefish  Elongate bodies with long jaws  Bright green bones  Habit of jumping out of the water – people have been impaled

Halfbeaks  Only lower jaw elongated – neotenic trait  Variety of reproductive systems – some lay eggs (oviparous), some are livebearing (ovoviviparous and viviparous)‏  Marine and freshwater

Flying fishes  Can “fly” up to 400 meters over 30 seconds  Elongated lower lobe of tail used for propulsion while flying  Specialized cornea allows focusing in water and air

Cyprinodontiformes  Freshwater, surface-dwelling fishes  Variety of reproductive systems – Ovoviviparity and viviparity have evolved more than once

Killifish and topminnows  Can survive in low oxygen levels  Lay eggs  Habit of leaping out of water

Livebearers  Guppies, mollies, platies, swordtails, mosquitofish  Internal fertilization – males have a modified anal fin protrusion called a gonopodium

Guppies  Huge variation in male colors  Colors affected by negative frequency- dependent selection – rare males do better

Amazon molly

Swordtail  Sexual selection – females prefer longer tails in males  Can be manipulated experimentally  This is true even in related species that don’t naturally have tail swords

Pupfishes

Four-eyed fish  Eyes are split in halves to see underwater and in air at the same time  Live-bearers with internal fertilization  Have a “side” – left-sided males can only mate with right-sided females and vice-versa How the eye of the four-eyed fish works

Videos  Flying fish video: CdUw17E CdUw17E CdUw17E  Glofish:  dI90&feature=related dI90&feature=related dI90&feature=related

Review questions  What is the phylogenetic position of the mullets within the bony fishes?  What is the unifying trait of the Atherinomorpha?  Give an example of experimentation that has been done on the medaka.  What are the adaptations flying fish have for flying?  What is the purpose of the swordtail’s sword?  Which groups have oviparity? Which have viviparity?  Where does the Death Valley pupfish live?