taxonomy

Gill rakers

While gill rakers have no role in gas exchange, the predominant function of gills,  they do perform an equally important function for filter-feeding fish – food acquisition.  These bony projections serve as a sieve to trap food particles.  They vary greatly in length and number and these characteristic differences have evolved with different feeding strategies … [Read more…]

Meristics and Morphometrics

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A meristic is a countable trait, such as number of gill rakers or number of dorsal fin spines.  Morphometrics examines the size and shape using a measurable trait, such as standard length or wet weight, which can be gauged as a length, mass, angle or ratio of other measurements.  Meristic traits and morphometrics are often used … [Read more…]