bony fish

bony fish
any fish of the class Osteichthyes, characterized by gill covers, an air bladder, and a skeleton composed of bone in addition to cartilage.
[1805-15, Amer.]

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Any member of the vertebrate class Osteichthyes, including the great majority of living fishes and all the world's sport and commercial fishes.

Also called Pisces, the class excludes jawless fishes (hagfishes and lampreys) and cartilaginous fishes (sharks, skates, and rays). There are more than 20,000 species worldwide, all with a skeleton at least partly composed of true bone. Other features include, in most species, a swim bladder (an air-filled sac to give buoyancy), gill covers over the gill chamber, bony platelike scales, a skull with sutures, and external fertilization of eggs. Bony fishes occur in all freshwater and ocean environments.

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▪ class of fish
      any member of the superclass Osteichthyes, a group made up of the classes Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fishes) and Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) in the subphylum Vertebrata, including the great majority of living fishes and virtually all the world's sport and commercial fishes. The scientific term Pisces has also been used to identify this group of fishes. Osteichthyes excludes the jawless fishes of the class Agnatha (hagfishes and lampreys) and the cartilaginous fishes constituting the class Chondrichthyes (sharks, skates, and rays) but includes the 20,000 species and more than 400 families of modern bony fishes (infraclass Teleostei) of the world, as well as a few primitive forms. The primary characteristic of bony fishes is a skeleton at least partly composed of true bone (as opposed to cartilage). Other features include, in most forms, the presence of a swim bladder (an air-filled sac to give buoyancy), gill covers over the gill chamber, bony platelike scales, a skull with sutures, and external fertilization of eggs.

 Bony fishes occur in all freshwater and ocean environments, including caves, deep-sea habitats, and thermal springs and vents. The variety of shapes and behavioral habits is remarkable. Their body sizes range from tiny species such as the pygmy goby (Pandaka pygmaea; 12 mm [0.5 inch]) to the enormous marlins (marlin) and swordfishes (swordfish) (family Istiophoridae) with lengths up to 4.5 m (15 feet) and the ocean sunfish ( mola mola; see photograph—>), which may weigh over 900 kg (1 ton).
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bony fish — Bony Bon y, a. 1. Consisting of bone, or of bones; full of bones; pertaining to bones. [1913 Webster] 2. Having large or prominent bones. [1913 Webster] {Bony fish} (Zo[ o]l.), the menhaden. {Bony pike} (Zo[ o]l.), the gar pike ({Lepidosteus}).… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bony fish — n. any of a class (Osteichthyes) of fishes with an air bladder, covered gills, and a bony inner skeleton …   English World dictionary

  • bony fish — menhaden men*ha den, n. (Zo[ o]l.) An American marine fish ({Brevoortia tyrannus}) of the Herring family ({Clupeidae}), chiefly valuable for its oil and as a component of fertilizers; called also {mossbunker}, {bony fish}, {chebog}, {pogy},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bony fish — noun Date: 1691 any of a major taxon (class Osteichthyes or superclass Teleostomi) comprising fishes (as sturgeons, eels, mackerels, and sunfish) with a bony rather than a cartilaginous skeleton called also teleost compare cartilaginous fish,… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • bony fish — noun any fish of the class Osteichthyes • Hypernyms: ↑fish • Hyponyms: ↑crossopterygian, ↑lobefin, ↑lobe finned fish, ↑lungfish, ↑teleost fish, ↑teleost, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • bony fish — bon′y fish n. ich any fish of the class Osteichthyes, characterized by gill covers, an air bladder, and a skeleton composed chiefly of bone …   From formal English to slang

  • bony fish — noun fish of the class Osteichthyes …   Wiktionary

  • bony fish — noun a fish of a large class distinguished by a skeleton of bone, and comprising the majority of modern fishes. [Class Osteichthyes.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • List of prehistoric bony fish — This List of prehistoric bony fish is an attempt to create a comprehensive listing of all genera from the fossil record that have ever been considered to be bony fish (class osteichthyes), excluding purely vernacular terms. The list includes all… …   Wikipedia

  • African bony fish — afrikinis tarpūnas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Elops lacerta angl. African bony fish; African tenpounder rus. африканская большеглазая сельдь; африканский элопс ryšiai: platesnis terminas –… …   Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

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