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Overviews on diversity of fish

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 Research Journal of Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sciences ___________________________ ISSN 2320 – 6535
Vol. 1(8), 12-18, September (2013) Res. J. Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sci.

Review Paper
Overviews on Diversity of Fish
Pandey Govind
Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Rewa (Nanaji Deshmukh
Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur), MP, INDIA
Available online at: [Link]
Received 2nd May 2013, revised 1st August 2013, accepted 11th September 2013
Abstract
Fish have great diversity and hence they can be classified in different categories. “Fish” generally refer to several aquatic
animals but actually all of them are not fish, such as starfish, shellfish, cuttlefish, jellyfish and crayfish. Jawlesh fish are the
most primitive fish. In deed, the ancestors of cartilaginous fish (having a cartilaginous skeleton) were the bony animals and
they developed paired fins firstly. Bony fish are categorized into the lobe finned and ray finned fish. Teleost fish are the most
‘modern’ (advance). As regard to size, Paedocypris progenetica is the smallest fish. Gobies have the shortest life span and
they are small coral reef-dwelling fish. Only 58% of extant fish are salt water, while a disproportionate 41% are fresh water
fish and remaining 1% is anadromous fish. Groupers are protogynous hermaphrodites, who school in harems of 3 to 15
females. Fish adopt a variety of strategy for nurturing their brood, e.g., shark differently adopts three protocols with brood.
Many fishes are food opportunists or generalists as they eat whatever they get easily. Fishes with four eyes have eyes above
the top of head which are divided in two different parts, so that the fish can see below and above the water surface
simultaneously. Seahorses are the slowest-moving fishes. So called the ‘toxic fishes’ are able to produce strong toxins in
their bodies. Moreover, there are commercial food fish, recreational sport fish, decorative aquarium fish and tourism fish. As
the most vertebrate species have brain-to-body weight ratios, fish also have the relative brain weights of vertebrates.
Keywords: Fish, fish diversities/categories, fish species.

Introduction (rarely three) dorsal fins, an anal fin and a tail fin. This also
bears jaws and skin (that is usually covered with scales), and
“Fish” denotes any non-tetrapod craniate (an animal with a skull lays eggs. There is exception in each of these criteria. For
and mostly with a backbone) that has gills, and whose limbs (if example, tuna, swordfish and some species of shark show some
any) are fin-shaped1. Unlike mammals or birds, fish are not a warm-blooded adaptations. They can heat their bodies
clade but they are a paraphylectic collection of taxa, including significantly, and their streamlining and swimming performance
jawless, skeletal and cartilaginous types (e.g., hagfish, lampreys, varies from fish (e.g., tuna, salmon and jacks that can cover 10-
sharks and rays, ray-finned fish, coelacanths and lungfish)2-3. 20 body-lengths/second) to species (e.g., eels and rays that swim
The lungfish and coelacanths are closer relatives of tetrapods not more than 0.5 body-lengths/second)1. Several groups of
(e.g., mammals, birds, amphibians) than the other fish (e.g., ray- freshwater fish take oxygen from air and water with the help of
finned fish or sharks). So, the last common ancestor of all fish is different structures in them. The lungfish have paired lungs like
also an ancestor to tetrapods. However, the paraphyletic groups those of tetrapods, and gouramis have ‘labyrinth organ’ that do
are no more in modern systematic biology, so the term “fish” as similar functions; however, many catfish (e.g., Corydoras) take
a biological group must not be used. oxygen through the stomach or intestine4.

“Fish” generally refer to several aquatic animals but actually all The fins have very variable body shape and arrangement,
of them are not fish, such as starfish, shellfish, cuttlefish, showing un-fishlike forms of anglerfish, gulpers, pufferfish and
jellyfish and crayfish. During 16th century, though the biologists seahorses. Similarly, the fish skin surface can be naked (as seen
did not make a distinction, the natural historians classified also in moray eel) or it may be covered with scales known as placoid
seals, whales, amphibians, crocodiles, even hippopotamuses and (typical of shark and ray), ganoid (different fossil fish but also
a host of aquatic invertebrates, as the ‘fish’. But as per the living gars and bichirs), cosmoid (fossil lungfish and
definition of “fish”, all the mammals, including Cetaceans (e.g., coelacanths), cycloid and ctenoid (last two are found on most
whales and dolphins) are not fish. Particularly in aquaculture, bony fish). Many fish still live on land. The mudskippers feed
the true fish are called “finfish” (or fin fish) to differentiate and interact with one another on mudflats, and go underwater to
them from other animals. An ecothermic fish has a streamlined hide in their burrows1. Phreatobius cisternarum (catfish) lives
body for rapid swimming that extracts oxygen from water by underground, and in phreatic habitats, and its relative lives in
using gills or that uses an accessory breathing organ to breathe waterlogged leaf litter5-6. Furthermore, there are many different
oxygen. This fish has two sets of paired fins, usually one or two shapes and sizes of fish. The whale shark may have the large

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Research Journal of Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sciences ________________________________________ ISSN 2320 – 6535
Vol. 1(8), 12-18, September (2013) Res. J. Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sci.

size of about 17 m (52 ft), while the stout infant fish may have Cartilaginous fish: They have a cartilaginous skeleton;
the tiny size of about 8 mm (0.3 inch)1. however, their ancestors were bony animals and were the first
fish to develop paired fins. The cartilaginous fish do not have
Fish have great diversity and hence they can be classified in swim bladders. Their skin is covered in placoid scales (dermal
different categories. Though fish species have been discovered, denticles) which are as rough sandpaper. Because cartilaginous
about 250 new ones are still discovered every year. As per the fish do not have bone marrow, the spleen and special tissues
data of FishBase, 32,100 fish species had been described by around the gonads produces red blood cells (RBCs). Their tails
September, 2011. This is more than the combined total of all can be asymmetric, with the upper lobe longer than the lower
other vertebrates, i.e., mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles1. lobe. Some cartilaginous fishes possess an organ called
Now a days, the documentation of biodiversity has become very “Leydig’s organ”, which also produces RBCs. There are over
important aspect of science due to various environmental 980 species of cartilaginous fishes. They are sharks, rays and
influences. Fish diversity of any regime has great significance in chimaera1.
assessment of that zone reference to environment and pollution,
as well as it contributes to the necessary information for Bony fish: They include the lobe finned and ray finned fishes.
fisheries. Many fish species may be the bio-indicators as well7. The lobe finned fish is the class of fleshy finned fish, consisting
The fish diversity of Mahanadi river suggests that this river is of lungfish and coelacanths. They are bony fish with fleshy,
endowed with a variety of endemic fish species. Number of lobed paired fins, which are joined to the body by a single bone.
these fish species are significantly considered ornamental These fins evolved into the legs of the first tetrapod land
species. The economic potential of these ornamental fishes may vertebrates, amphibians. Ray finned fish is so-called because it
be used for the domestic market in the first place for aquarium possesses lepidotrichia or ‘fin rays’; its fins being webs of the
purpose8. Now, there is a great need to adopt rational methods skin supported by bony or horny spines (‘rays’). There are three
and new technology in the fishing towards the conservation of types of ray finned fish: chondrosteans, holosteans and teleosts.
fish diversity of several rivers like Mahanadi. A few effective The chondrosteans and holosteans are primitive fishes sharing a
measures have been suggested for this purpose. The mixture of characteristics of teleosts and sharks. The holosteans
management measures aimed at conserving freshwater fishes are closer to teleosts and further from sharks in comparison with
should be part of fishery policies of Governments. The the other chondrosteans1.
broodstock maintenance centres and hatcheries should be
established exclusively for endangered and critically endangered Teleosts: They are the most advanced or ‘modern’ fishes. They
indigenous fishes for their in situ conservation. Investigation of are overwhelmingly the dominant class of fishes with nearly
invasive nature of exotic fish species in the natural habitats 30,000 species, covering about 96% of all extant fish species.
should be done to establish the nature of their natural breeding They are ubiquitous throughout the freshwater and marine
populations and the extent to which their feed habits overlap environments from deep sea to the highest mountain streams.
with endemic population of fish8-11. They include nearly all the important commercial and
recreational fishes. Teleosts have a movable maxilla and
Diversity of Fish premaxilla, and corresponding modifications in the jaw
musculature. These modifications make it possible for teleosts
According to Species: to protrude their jaws outwards from the mouth. The caudal fin
Jawless fish: They are the most primitive fish. There is debate is homocercal, meaning the upper and lower lobes are about
whether they are really fish or not. The jawless fish have no jaw, equal in size. The spine ends at the caudal peduncle,
no scales, no paired fins and no bony skeleton. Their skin is distinguishing this group from those in which the spine extends
smooth and soft to touch, and they are very flexible. They into the upper lobe of the caudal fin12. Rosefish, swordfish, eel
possess an oral sucker instead of jaw. They use oral sucker to and seahorse are the some examples of the teleost fish1.
fasten on to other fish and then use their rasp-like teeth to grind
through their host’s skin into the viscera. The jawless fish According to Size: Paedocypris progenetica is the smallest fish
inhabit both fresh and salt water environments. Some are species. This is a type of minnow that lives in the dark-coloured
anadromous, moving between both fresh and salt water peat swamps of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The females
habitats1. The extant jawless fish are either hagfish or lamprey. of this species have a standard length of 7.9 mm (0.31 inch) at
The juvenile lamprey feed by sucking up mud containing maturity13. Until recently, this was the smallest of all known
microorganisms and organic debris. The lamprey has well vertebrates. However, a minute Papua New Guinea frog,
developed eyes, while the hagfish has only primitive eyespots. Paedophryne amauensis, with a standard length of 7.7 mm
The hagfish coats itself and carcasses it finds with noxious slime (0.30 inch) has been found. The slender Indonesian fish may
to deter predators and periodically ties itself into a knot to still be the smallest vertebrate by weight. The male individuals
scrape the slime off. The hagfish is the only invertebrate fish of the anglerfish species Photocorynus spiniceps are 6.2 to
and the only animal which has a skull but no vertebral column5. 7.3 mm long at maturity, and thus could be claimed as an even
It has two brains, four hearts and a paddle-like tail6. smaller species. However, these males do not survive on their
own merits but only by sexual parasitism on the larger female.

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Research Journal of Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sciences ________________________________________ ISSN 2320 – 6535
Vol. 1(8), 12-18, September (2013) Res. J. Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sci.

Another very small fish is the stout infant fish, a type of goby. the bottom of oceans and lakes. The habitats can also be
As per the Guinness Book of World Records, the sinarapan vertically stratified. The epipelagic fishes occupy sunlit waters
(also a goby) is the world’s smallest commercially harvested down to 200 meters; mesopelagic fishes occupy the deeper
fish14. This is found in Philippines and has an average length of twilight waters down to 1,000 meters (3,300 ft); and
12.5 mm (0.49 inch). This is threatened by overfishing. The bathypelagic fish inhabitat the cold and pitch black depths
largest fish is the whale shark. It is a slow moving filter feeding below1. Most oceanic species (78% or 44% of all fish species)
shark with a maximum published length of 20 m (66 ft) and a live near the shoreline. These coastal fishes live on or above the
maximum weight of 34 tonnes. The whale sharks can live up to relatively shallow continental shelf. Only 13% of all fish species
70 years. The heaviest bony fish is the ocean sunfish. It can live in the open ocean, off the shelf. Of these, 1% is epipelagic,
weigh up to 2,300 kg (5,100 lb). It is found in all warm and 5% are pelagic and 7% are demersal fish18. The fish are found in
temperate oceans. The longest bony fish is the king of herrings. nearly all natural aquatic environments. Most fish, whether by
Its total length may be 11 m (36 ft), and it can weigh up to 272 species count or abundance, live in warmer environments with
kg (600 lb). It is a rarely seen oarfish found in all the world’s relatively stable temperatures. However, some species survive
oceans, and is present at the depths of 20 m (66 ft) to 1,000 m temperatures up to 44.6°C (112.3°F), while others cope with
(3,300 ft)1. colder waters. Of the Antarctic convergence, there are over 200
finfish species. Some fish species tolerate salinities over 10%.
According to Life Span: The gobies are some of the shortest- The world’s deepest living fish, Abyssobrotula galatheae (a
lived species. They are small coral reef-dwelling fish. However, species of cusk eel) lives in the Puerto Rico Trench at a depth of
the rockfish are some of the longest-lived1. The shortest lived 8,372 meters (27,467 ft). On the other side, the Tibetan stone
fish is the seven-figure pygmy goby, that lives for at most 59 loach lives at altitudes over 5,200 meters (17,100 ft) in the
days. This is the shortest lifespan for any vertebrate15. The short Himalayas. Some marine pelagic fish range over the vast areas
lived fishes have particular value in genetic studies on aging. like blue shark fish that lives in all oceans. Other fish are
The ram cichlid is used in laboratory studies because of its ease confined to single, small living spaces like bythitid vent fish
of breeding and predictable aging pattern16. The longest-lived (e.g., Thermichthys hollisi, living around theramal vents 2,400
fish is the 205 years reported for the rougheye rockfish, meters down), or isolated cave fish (e.g., Lucifuga in the
Sebastes aleutianus (found offshore in the North Pacific at 25- Bahamas and Cuba or equally isolated desert pupfish living in
900 meters). This fish exhibits negligible senescence17. The small desert spring systems in Mexico and the southwest USA)1.
maximum reliably reported age for a goldfish is 41 years. The
orange roughy may be the longest living commercial fish, with a According to Breeding Behaviour: Groupers (protogynous
maximum reported age of 149 years. The sport fish (Atlantic hermaphrodites) school in harems of 3 to 15 females. When no
tarpon) is one of the longest living, with a maximum reported male is available, the most aggressive and largest females shift
age of 55 years. Some of the longest living fishes are living sex to male, possibly as a result of behavioural triggers. In very
fossils, e.g., green sturgeon. This species is among the longest deep water, it is not easy for a fish to find mate. There is no
living species found in freshwater, with a maximum reported light, so some species depend on bioluminescence. Others are
age of 60 years. This is also among the largest fish species hermaphrodites, that doubles their chances of producing both
found in freshwater, with a maximum reported length of 2.5 eggs and sperm when an encounter does occur. The female
meters (8.2 ft) and a maximum reported weight of 159 kg. anglerfish releases pheromones to attract the tiny males. When a
Another living fossil is the Australian lungfish; the individual male finds her, he bites on to her and never lets go. When a
has lived in an aquarium for 75 years, and is the oldest fish in male of Haplophryne mollis (anglerfish) bites into the skin of a
captivity. As per the fossil records, the Australian lungfish has female, he releases an enzyme which digests the skin of his
hardly changed for 380 million years. Among the gobies, small mouth and her body, fusing the pair to the point where two
coral reef-dwelling fish is some of the shortest lived fishes with circulatory systems join up. The male then atrophies into
the seven-figure pygmy goby living at most for 59 days. The nothing more than a pair of gonads. This extreme sexual
rockfish is some of the longest living fish with the rough eye dimorphism ensures that, when the female is ready to spawn,
rockfish, living for 205 years. The oldest fish in captivity (at she has a mate immediately available. Some sharks like
least 75 years) is an Australian lungfish. The commercial fish, hammerheads are able to breed parthogenetically. The male
orange roughy (longest living) may live for about 149 years1. toadfish ‘sing’ at up to 100 decibels with their swim bladders to
attract mates. The female groupers change their sex to male if
According to Habitat: In the oceans, there is 10,000 times no male is available1.
more saltwater than there is freshwater in the rivers and lakes.
However, only58% of extant fish species are saltwater; 41% are According to Brooding Behaviour: Fish adopt a variety of
freshwater fish; and remaining 1% is anadromous18. This strategies for nurturing their brood. For example, the sharks
diversity in freshwater species is not surprising as the thousands variously follow three protocols with their brood. Many sharks
of separate lake habitats promote speciation. Fish can also be (including lamniformes) are ovoviviparous, bearing their young
pelagic or demersal. The pelagic fish inhabit the water column after they nourish themselves after hatching and before birth, by
away from the bottom, while the demersal fish live on or near consuming the remnants of yolk and other available nutrients.

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Research Journal of Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sciences ________________________________________ ISSN 2320 – 6535
Vol. 1(8), 12-18, September (2013) Res. J. Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sci.

Some such hammerheads are viviparous, bearing their young This is partially because of the good eyesight, but also due to
after nourishing hatchlings internally, analogously to the ability to compensate for the light refraction when aiming.
mammalian gestation. Finally, the catsharks and others are The triggerfish also uses jets of water to uncover the sand
oviparous, laying their eggs to hatch in the water. Some animals dollars buried in the sand or overturn the sea urchins. The
(predominantly fish like cardinalfish) practice mouthbrooding, doctorfish (nibble fish) lives and breeds in the outdoor pools of
caring for their offspring by holding them in the mouth of a some Turkish spas, where it feeds on the psoriasis affected skin
parent for extended periods. The mouthbrooding has evolved of the patients. This fish is like the cleaner fish in that it only
independently in many different fish families. Others (e.g., consumes the affected and dead areas of the skin (eat parasites
seahorse males) practice pouch-brooding, analogous to of other fish), leaving the healthy skin for recovery1.
Australia’s kangaroos, nourishing their offspring in a pouch in
which the female lays them. The Cyphotilapia frontosa female According to Vision: The four-eyed fishes have eyes raised
mouthbrooding fry can be seen looking out her mouth. The above the top of head and divided in two parts, so that they can
chain catshark (an oviparous) is laying its eggs to hatch in the see simultaneously below and above the water surface. These
water. The great white shark (an ovoviviparous) is gestating fishes in fact have only two eyes, but their eyes are especially
eggs in the uterus for 11 months before giving birth. The adapted for their surface-dwelling lifestyle. The eyes are
scalloped hammerhead (a viviparous) bears its young after positioned on the top of the head, and the fish float at the water
nourishing hatchlings internally1. surface with only the lower half of each eye under water. The
two halves are divided by a band of tissue, and the eye has two
According to Feeding Behaviour: By three basic methods, the pupils connected by part of the iris. The upper half of the eye is
food is accumulated into the mouths of fish i. by suction adapted for vision in air, the lower half for vision in the water.
feeding, ii. by ram feeding and iii. by manipulation or biting. The lens of the eye also changes in thickness top to bottom to
Approximately, all fish species use one of these styles and most account for the difference in the refractive indices of air versus
use two1. Early fish lineages had inflexible jaws limited to little water. These fishes spend their most time at the surface of
more than opening and closing. The modern teleosts have water. Their diet mostly consists of the terrestrial insects which
evolved protusible jaws that can reach out to engulf prey19. For are available at the surface. Many species of fish can see the
example, the protusible jaw of slingjaw wrasse extends into a ultraviolet end of the spectrum beyond the violet1. The two
tube half as long as its body, and with a strong suction it catches stripe damselfish, Dascyllus reticulatus, has ultraviolet-
prey. The equipment tucks away under its body when it is not in reflecting colouration which it appear to use as an alarm signal
use. In practice, feeding modes lie on a spectrum, with suction to other fishes of its species21. The predatory species can not see
and ram feeding at the extremes. Many fish capture their prey this if their vision is not sensitive to ultraviolet. There is further
using both suction pressures combined with a forward motion of evidence that some fishes use ultraviolet as a ‘high-fidelity
the body or jaw1. The cookiecutter shark is a small dogfish secret communication channel hidden from the predators, while
which derives its name from the way it removes small circular yet other species use ultraviolet to make social or sexual
plugs, looking as though cut with a cookie cutter, from the flesh signals22. The mesopelagic fishes live in deeper waters, in the
and skin of cetaceans and larger fish, including other sharks. twilight zone down to depths of 1000 meters, where the amount
The cookiecutter attaches to its larger prey with its suctorial of sunlight available is not sufficient to support the
lips, and then protrudes its teeth to remove a symmetrical scoop photosynthesis. These fish are adapted for an active life under
of flesh20. Most fishes are food opportunists, or generalists. low light conditions. The barreleyes are a family of small,
They eat whatever is most easily available, e.g., the blue shark unusual-looking mesopelagic fishes, named for their barrel-
feeds on dead whales and nearly everything else that wriggles shaped, tubular eyes which are usually directed upwards to
other fishes like cephalopds, gastropods, ascidians and detect the silhouettes of available prey. The barreleyes have
crustaceans. The ocean sunfish prefers jellyfish. Other fishes large, telescoping eyes which dominate and protrude from the
have developed extreme specializations. Silver arowana skull. These eyes generally gaze upwards, but can also be
(monkey fish) can leap two meters out of the water to capture swivelled forwards in some species. Their eyes have a large lens
prey. They usually swim near the surface of water waiting for and a retina with an exceptional number of rod cells, and a high
potential prey. Their main diet consists of crustaceans, insects, density of rhodopsin (the ‘visual purple’ pigment); there are no
smaller fishes and other animals that float on the water surface, cone cells23. Barreleye species, Macropinna microstoma, has a
for which their draw-bridge-like mouth is exclusively adapted transparent protective dome over the top of its head, somewhat
for feeding. The remainings of the small birds, bats and snakes like the dome over an airplane cockpit, through which the lenses
have also been found in their stomachs. The archerfish preys on of its eyes can be seen. The dome is tough and flexible, and
land-based insects and other small animals by literally shooting presumably protects the eyes from the nematocysts (stinging
them down with the water droplets from their specialized cells) of the siphonophores from which it is believed the
mouths. These fishes are remarkably accurate and the adults barreleye steals food23. The four-eyed fishes feed at the surface
almost always hit the target on the first shot. They can bring of water with eyes that allow it to see both above and below the
down insects like grasshoppers, butterflies and spiders on a surface at the same time. The two stripe damselfish can signal
branch of an overhanging tree, 3 m above the water’s surface. secret alarms by reflecting ultraviolet to other fishes of its

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Research Journal of Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sciences ________________________________________ ISSN 2320 – 6535
Vol. 1(8), 12-18, September (2013) Res. J. Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sci.

species. The barreleye has barrel-shaped, telescopic eyes which called “fugu”, including just enough toxin for that ‘special
are directed upwards, but can also be swiveled forward. The flavour’. The spotted trunkfish is a reef fish which secretes a
flashlight fish (mesopelagic fish) use a retroreflector behind the colourless ciguatera toxin from the glands on its skin when
retina with photophores to detect the eyeshine in other fishes1. touched. The toxin is only dangerous when ingested, so there is
no immediate harm to divers. However, the predators as large as
According to Locomotion: Seahorses are the slowest-moving nurse sharks can die as a result of eating a trunkfish. The giant
fishes. The slowest of these, i.e., dwarf seahorse attains about 5 moray is a reef fish at the top of the food chain. Like many other
ft/hour. Among the fasted sprinters are the Indo-Pacific sailfish apex reef fish, it is likely to cause ciguatera poisoning if eaten1.
and black marlin. Both these have been found in a burst at over The outbreaks of ciguatera poisoning in the 11th to 15th centuries
110 km/hour (68 mph). For sailfish, that is equivalent to 12 to from large, carnivorous reef fish, caused by the harmful algal
15 times their own length per second. The wahoo is perhaps the blooms, could be a reason why Polynesians migrated to Easter
fastest fish for its size, attaining a speed of 19 lengths/second, Island, Hawaii and New Zealand24. At least 1200 species of
reaching 78 km/hour (48 mph). The shortfin mako sharks are venomous fishes are prevalent, and more venomous fishes are
fast enough and agile enough to chase down and kill an adult found than the venomous snakes. In fact, there are more
swordfish, but they do not always win. Sometimes in the venomous fishes than the combined total of all other venomous
struggle with a shark, a swordfish can kill it by ramming it in vertebrates25. The venomous fishes are found in almost all
the gills or belly. The shortfin mako’s speed has been recorded habitats around the world, but mostly in the tropical waters.
at 50 km/hour (31 mph) and it can achieve bursts of up to 74 They wound over 50,000 people every year. They carry their
km/hour (46 mph). It can jump up to 9 meters (30 ft) in the air. venom in the venom glands and use various delivery systems
Due to its speed and agility, this high-leaping fish is sought as like spines or sharp fins, barbs, spikes and fangs. The venomous
game worldwide. This shark is highly migratory. Its exothermic fishes tend to be either very visible, using flamboyant colours to
constitution partly accounts for its relatively great speed. The warn enemies, or skillfully camouflaged and may be buried in
Atlantic bluefin tuna is capable of sustained high speed cruising, the sand. Apart from the defense or hunting value, the venom
and maintains high muscle temperatures so it can cruise in helps bottom dwelling fish by killing bacteria that try to invade
relatively cold waters. A number of species jump while their skin. The most known venomous fishes are the reef
swimming near the surface, skimming the water. The flying stonefish. They have remarkable ability to camouflage
fishes have unusually large pectoral fins, which enable the fish themselves amongst rocks. They are an ambush predators that
to take short gliding flights above the surface of water, in order sit on the bottom waiting for prey to approach. Instead of
to escape from the predators. Their glides are typically around swimming away if disturbed, they erect 13 venomous spines
50 meters (160 ft), but they can use updrafts at the leading edge along their back. For defense, they can shoot venom from each
of waves to cover distances of at least 400 meters (1,300 ft). The or all of these spines. Each spine is like a hypodermic needle,
flying fish was able to stay aloft for 42 seconds by beating the delivering the venom from two sacs attached to the spine. The
surface of water with its caudal (tail) fin. The mudskipper is a stonefish has control over whether to shoot its venom, and does
type of walking fish. The walking fishes are often amphibious so when provoked or frightened. The venom results in severe
and can travel over land for extended periods of time. They are pain, paralysis and tissue death, and can be fatal if not treated.
able to spend longer times out of water. These fishes may use a Despite its formidable defenses, the stonefish has predators.
number of means of locomotion, including springing, snake-like Some bottom feeding is done by rays and sharks with crushing
lateral undulation and tripod-like walking. The mudskipper is teeth feed on them, as does the Stokes’ sea snake. The beautiful
probably the best land-adapted of contemporary fish, and is able lionfish (a coral reef fish) is also venomous. Unlike stonefish,
to spend days moving about out of water and can even climb the lionfish can only release venom when something strikes its
mangroves, although to only modest heights. Some fish species spines. Although not native to the USA coast, the lionfish has
can walk along the sea floor but not on land, e.g., flying gurnard appeared around Florida, and have spread up the coast to New
fish1. York. It is attractive aquarium fish, sometimes used to stock
ponds, and may have been washed into the sea during a
According to Toxicity: The strong poisons are produced in the hurricane. The lionfish can aggressively dart at scuba divers and
bodies of ‘toxic fishes’. Both the poisonous fish and venomous attempt to puncture their facemask with their venomous spines.
fish contain toxins, but deliver them differently. The venomous The stargazer, Uranoscopus sulphureus, is also a venomous
fishes bite, sting or stab, causing an envenomation. They do not fish. The stargazer buries itself and can deliver electric shocks
necessarily cause poisoning if they are eaten, since the digestive as well as venom. It is a delicacy in some cultures (cooking
system often destroys the venom. By contrast, the digestive destroys the venom), and can be found for sale in some fish
system does not destroy poisonous fish toxins, making them markets with the electric organ removed. They have been called
poisonous to eat. The puffer fish is the most poisonous fish. ‘the meanest things in creation’. The stingray envenomations
This is the second most poisonous vertebrate after the golden can occur to people who wade in shallow water and tread on
dart frog. It paralyzes the diaphragm muscles of human victims, them. This can be avoided by shuffling through the sand or
who can die from suffocation. In Japan, skilled chefs use parts stamping on the bottom, as the rays detect this and swim away.
of a closely related species, the blowfish to create a delicacy The stinger usually breaks off in the wound. It is barbed, so it

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Research Journal of Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sciences ________________________________________ ISSN 2320 – 6535
Vol. 1(8), 12-18, September (2013) Res. J. Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sci.

can easily penetrate but not so easily be removed. The stinger the length of its body and can induce LSD-like hallucinations, if
causes local trauma from the cut itself, pain and swelling from it is eaten. These widely distributed coastal fish became a
the venom, and possible later infection from bacteria. Rarely, recreational drug during the Roman Empire and are called ‘the
the arteries are severely damaged or death can result. The fish that make dreams’ in Arabic. Other hallucinogenic fishes
treatment for venom stings usually includes the application of are Siganus spinus (fish that inebriates in Reunion Island) and
heat, using water at temperatures of about 45°C (113°F), since Mulloidichthys samoensis (chief of ghosts in Hawaii)1.
heat breaks down most complex venom proteins1.
Conclusion
According to Human Use: Fishes are sought by humans for
their value as commercial food fish, recreational sport fish, At present, the documentation of biodiversity has become very
decorative aquarium fish, and in tourism, attracting snorkelers important aspect due to different environmental influences. The
and Scuba divers. Throughout human history, the important fish diversity of any regime has great significance in assessment
fisheries have been based on the forage fish. The forage fish are of that zone reference to environment and pollution, as well as it
small fish which are eaten by larger predators. They usually contributes to the necessary information for fisheries. Many
school together for protection. The typical ocean forage fish fishes may be the bio-indicators also. In deed, the fish have
feed near the bottom of the food chain on plankton, often by the great diversity and so they are categorized in different ways. As
filter feeding. They include the family Clupeidae (e.g., herring, per the data of FishBase, 32,100 fish species were described by
sardine, menhaden, hilsa, shad and sprat fish), as well as September, 2011. This is more than the combined total of all
anchovies, capelin and halfbeaks. The important herring other vertebrates, i.e., mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles.
fisheries have existed for centuries in the North Atlantic and The ancestors of cartilaginous fish were the bony animals and
North Sea. Likewise, the important traditional for anchovy and they developed paired fins firstly. Bony fish are categorized into
sardine fisheries have operated in the Pacific, Mediterranean the lobe finned and ray finned fish. Teleost fish are the most
and southeast Atlantic. The world annual catch of forage fish in ‘modern’. According to the size, Paedocypris progenetica is the
recent years has been around 25 million tonnes, or one quarter smallest fish. Gobies have the shortest life span and are small
of the world’s total catch1. Higher in the food chain, Gadidae coral reef-dwelling fish. Groupers are protogynous
(e.g., cod, pollock, haddock, saithe, hake and whiting fish) also hermaphrodites, who school in harems. Fish adopt various
supports important fisheries. Concentrated initially in the North strategies for nurturing their brood, e.g., shark differently adopts
Sea, the Atlantic cod was one of the Europe’s oldest fisheries, three protocols with brood. Many fishes are food opportunists or
later extending to the Grand Banks26, declining numbers led to generalists as they eat whatever they get easily. Four-eyes fises
international ‘Cod Wars’, and eventually the virtual have eyes above the top of head which are divided in two
abandonment of these fisheries. Now, the Alaska pollock different parts, so that the fishes can see below and above the
supports an important fishery in the Bering Sea and North water surface simultaneously. Seahorses are the slowest-moving
Pacific, yielding about 6 million tones; while the cod amounts to fishes. The ‘toxic fishes’ are able to produce strong toxins in
about 9 million tonnes. The yellowfin tuna are now being fished their bodies. There are also fishes like commercial food,
as a replacement for the depleted southern bluefin tuna. The recreational sport, decorative aquarium and tourism fishes. The
Atlantic cod fisheries have collapsed. The koi and goldfish have fish also have the relative brain weights of other vertebrates.
been kept in decorative ponds for centuries in China and Japan. Now, there is a great need to adopt rational methods and new
The food fish, oily fish, whitefish, farmed fish and the fish used technology in the fishing towards the conservation of fish
for medicinal purposes are also consumed by the humans. The diversity.
recreational and sport fishing are big business. The USA
saltwater fishers spend about $30 billion annually and support
350,000 jobs. Some of the more popular recreational and sport
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Vol. 1(8), 12-18, September (2013) Res. J. Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sci.

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