Radiant fish - species, general characteristics, structure of bone fish

Luchepery fish belong to a very large class, which includes almost 95% of all known to date inhabitants of rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. This class is widespread in all water bodies of the Earth and is a separate branch in the superclass of bone fishes.

Lucheperye fishes (actinopterygii) got their name from the Greek and Latin languages. It consists of two parts - "ray" and "pen". This name has a connection with the structure of the fins.

Evolution

Since all kinds of marine fishes and their freshwater counterparts are carefully studied, each archeological find in this area is of interest to scientists. So it was found that the oldest skeleton of fossil radiant fish is over 420 million years old. According to its structure, it was determined that it was a predator belonging to a group of paleo-like species. Similar findings came across the territory of Russia, Estonia and Sweden.

The following important findings turned out to be younger than 200 million years. These were the skeletons of the first teleost fishes, which became the progenitors of a huge variety of species, later named ray-fish. The emergence of a large number of species variations is due to the fact that during the evolution of the fish were forced to adapt to different conditions and different levels of solar radiation. There were related groups that were forced to adapt to the gradual changes in the surrounding world.

Primary classification

The entire class of "ray-finned fish" is divided into two separate groups:

• Ganoid fish;
• Fresh fish.

Ganoid fish include 2 modern and 12 fossil detachments. Novopereye fish is referred to a younger group, the most numerous species of which are bony fish.

Despite the fact that they are representatives of one class, they vary greatly in appearance and structure.

Lucheperye fish. General characteristics of the group of ganoid fish

The first group, ganoid ray-fish, consists of only four orders. The most numerous and widespread of them are sturgeon. The structure of the representatives of this order is rather primitive, they almost all of the skeleton consists of cartilage, in which there are no separate vertebrae. On the body are arranged in 5 rows of bone diamond-shaped plates.

Cartilaginous ganoids differ from cartilaginous fishes with formed bones of the skull, gill covers and the presence of a swim bladder. Sturgeon-like cartilaginous ganoids include some valuable commercial ray-fish, representatives of sterlet, sturgeon, beluga and others.

Structure of the group of bony fishes

The second group is the most progressive. The body of bony fishes is covered with thin rounded osseous plates, which in people are called scales. The scales are arranged according to the principle of shingles. They are distinguished by growth rings, by which you can determine the age of the individual.

The osteal skeleton consists of separate ossified vertebrae, which are connected by ligaments, allowing the body of the fish to flex. Each segment of the spine, except for the cylindrical part, has an arc with a spinous process. The appointment of the upper arcs of the vertebrae is the creation of a channel to protect the spinal cord. Downward from the vertebrae are directed transverse processes, to which the costal bones are attached.

Luchepery fish from the group of bony have a well-formed skull, consisting of a large number of bones. The brain is protected by a bone box. With the bones of the spine, the skull is immobile.

The musculoskeletal system is formed by the skeleton and muscles, which set in motion fins, gill covers, jaws. The ray-finned fish move due to the tail section with a large fin. Stability and straightness during movement provide unpaired fins. And paired fins retain the correct position of the body in the water and serve as steering wheels.

Variety of species

Freshwater radiant and numerous species of marine fish, united in one class, have different sizes and appearance. The difference in size varies from 8 mm to 11 m. The weight of individual representatives can reach 2,235 kg, it is a fish-moon, which was caught in 1908 in the Sydney area.

All types of herring, numerous salmon-like fish, freshwater and sea eels, carp fish, catfish, cod, stickleback, mullet, and all kinds of perches and flounder belong to the ray-fin fish.

Exotic species

You can make a huge list of interesting exotic inhabitants of the sea depths and domestic aquariums belonging to this class. The brightest of them are:

• Fish Murjan, whose huge eyes contrast with the pinkish color of the scales;
• Fish angel, decorating the sea with bright stripes and mesh of colored scales;
• Sea bass, meeting with which can be dangerous, because it has a poisonous substance in the fins;
• A sea horse that can decorate any aquarium;
• Fish labeotrofeus, carrying eggs in the mouth;
• A glamor that won fame among aquarists not only with a pretty appearance, but also devotion to its pair.

A variety of representatives of this class appeared due to evolutionary processes. To date, most of the fish that live in the rivers, seas and oceans of our planet, or more precisely 95% of all existing species, are lucopers. Of course, it is simply impossible to describe all the representatives. There are too many of them, but it is all the more interesting to study this class, finding more and more information about it. It is not known for certain whether all inhabitants of the seas and oceans are familiar to mankind, maybe new discoveries and sensations are waiting for us.