Teleost

Teleost

Teleosts are by far the largest infraclass in the class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes. They are arranged into about 40 orders and 448 families. Over 26,000 species have been described. The fishing industry harvests them for food, and anglers attempt to capture them for sport.

About Teleost in brief

Summary TeleostTeleosts are by far the largest infraclass in the class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes. They are arranged into about 40 orders and 448 families. Over 26,000 species have been described. Teleosts range from giant oarfish measuring 7. 6m to the minute male anglerfish Photocorynus spiniceps, just 6. 2mm long. The fishing industry harvests them for food, and anglers attempt to capture them for sport. Some species are farmed commercially, and this method of production is likely to be increasingly important in the future. Others are kept in aquariums or used in research, especially in the fields of genetics and developmental biology. Distinguishing features of the teleosts include mobile premaxilla, elongated neural arches at the end of the caudal fin and unpaired basibranchial toothplates. Most use external fertilisation: the female lays a batch of eggs, the male fertilises them and the larvae develop without any further parental involvement. A fair proportion of teleostS are sequential hermaphrodites, starting life as females and transitioning to males at some stage, with a few species reversing this process. Some are viviparous and some provide parental care with typically the male fish guarding a nest and fanning the eggs to keep them well-oxygenated. The phal jaws are composed of a second set of jaws contained within the branchial arches, which support the throat.

The base of the lower pharyngeal jaws is formed by the ceratranchials, while the second, third, fourth and fifth phobranchials create the upper pharyngary. The fourth arch is composed of pairs of pairs. and epibranchials and sometimes additionally, some phatrichs. The first three arches of the throat are composed. of five loops of loops of five arches. The fifth arch is covered by a toothplate, which is. covered by two hypibranchIALs, surrounded by a basbranchial. The maxilla rotates slightly, which pushes forward a bony process that interlocks with the premaxillas. In more advanced teleosted fish, the maxilla is enlarged and has teeth, while it is toothless in others. The upper and lower lobes of the tail fin are about equal in size, distinguishing this group from other fish in which the spine extends into the upper lobe of the Tail fin. This lowers the pressure inside the mouth, sucking the prey inside. This is of great advantage, enabling them to grab prey and draw it into the mouth. The lower jaw and maxilla are then pulled back to close the mouth and the fish is able to grasp the prey. By contrast, mere closure of the jaws would risk pushing food out of the mouth,. Other bones further back in the mouth serve to grind and swallow food.