Results for “sp.”

lanceolate

Lance or spear-shaped; gradually tapering to a point. Used to describe the shape of a caudal fin with long central rays.

Used in 19 profiles

mangrove

May refer to a mangrove swamp habitat and all species inhabiting it, only the trees and shrubs found in such a habitat, or more specifically, mangrove trees of the genus Rhizophora.

Used in 31 profiles

micro crab

Vernacular name for the tiny freshwater crab Limnopilos naiyanetri Chuang and Ng 1991, a member of the family Hymenosomatidae, or false spider crabs. It's native to Nakhon Pathom province, southern central Thailand and its body achieves a maximum diameter of around 1 cm. Completely aquatic and apparently spends its entire life cycle in fresh water.

name-bearing type

In zoological nomenclature, the biological type (normally either a genus, species, or specimen) that determines how a name is applied.

natural selection

Term introduced by Charles Darwin referring to the nonrandom mechanism of evolution by which certain biological traits become either more or less common in a population due to differential, environmentally-influenced reproduction. Better-adapted individuals tend to produce more offspring, thus the population evolves, and this process can result in populations that gradually become specialised to inhabit particular ecological niches and can eventually result in the emergence of new species.

neotype

A single specimen designated as the name-bearing type of a species subsequent to its description, most often when the holotype, lectotype, and syntype no longer exist.

Used in 14 profiles

non-annual breeder

A species that lives and spawns for more than a single year

pelagic phase

Period of time during the life cycle spent floating freely in the water column, usually as a larval constituent of plankton. Relatively common in marine fishes but also typical of amphidromous and diadromous species.

protozoan

Any member of a diverse group of unicellular eukaryotic organisms including amoebas, ciliates, flagellates, and sporozoans. Also spelled protozoon.

Rift Valley lake

Generic term for any lake formed in a rift valley, but often used in specific reference to a group located in the East African rift, particularly those lying in its western and southern sections, i.e., the African Great Lakes. In the aquarium hobby the meaning of the term is typically restricted even further to include just lakes Malawi, Tanganyika, and Victoria, the latter of which is not in fact a rift lake and is located in a shallow depression between the eastern and western branches of the main rift. These three lakes are famous for the high number of endemic fish species inhabiting them, especially members of the family Cichlidae.

savanna

Type of grassland ecosystem characterised by any trees present being spaced in such a way that they do not form a closed canopy, thus sufficient light reaches the ground to support unbroken herbaceous cover consisting primarily of grasses. Also spelled 'savannah'.

Used in 10 profiles

sneaker male

Subdominant male individual of certain fish species that attempts to sneak into the nest of a spawning pair and fertilise deposited eggs. Typically smaller in size and/or possessing reduced colouration compared with a normal male. Also known as a sneaky male.

standard length

Measurement taken from the tip of the snout to the midlateral, posterior edge of the hypural plate or posterior edge of the last vertebra, thus excluding the caudal fin. May also exclude the length of the lower jaw should it project beyond the snout. It is the standard scientific measurement used for most fish species because the caudal fin easily becomes damaged in preserved specimens. Abbreviated to SL.

Used in 48 profiles

t-position

Stance adopted by a spawning pair in certain fish species in which the two individuals come together in such a way as to resemble a capital letter 'T'. Typical in some callichthyid catfishes, for example.

Used in 31 profiles

topotype

A specimen collected from the type locality of a given species.

Used in 1 profile

type series

Series of specimens which either constitutes the name-bearing type of a nominal species or subspecies, or from which the name-bearing type has been or may be designated

Used in 120 profiles

ventral-fin basket

Vernacular nerm used to describe the post-spawning behaviour of cupping or clamping of the ventral fins in order to transport fertilised eggs. Exhibited by females of some Corydoras species, for example.

vertebral column

The backbone; the spine; in fishes, the vertebrae running from skull to caudal fin which protect the spinal cord and haemal artery as well as providing attachment for certain muscles used for swimming.

whitebait

Collective term for the young of various fishes, especially herring and sprat. Sometimes used as food for predatory species in aquaria.

Used in 48 profiles

worms (parasite)

Any species of nematode worm which spends part of its life cycle as an internal parasite within a fish's intestinal system.