Pisces

Vertebrata

Agnatha Gnathostomata

Pisces Amphibia Reptilia Aves Mammalia

Placodermi Chondricthyes Osteichthyes

 superclass
Pisces

class class

Placodermi* Chondricthyes Osteichthyes

Order 1. Cladoselachi * 1. Acanthodii

Order 2. Pleurocanthodi* 1. Elasmobranchii
Order 3. Selachii

Order 1. Palaeoniscoidei
2. Holocephali/ bradyodonti 2. Actiniterygii
Order 2. Acipenseroidei
The superclass Pisces (L., Piscis, fish) includes all the fishes, which are essentially aquatic
forms with paired fins for swimming and gills for locomotion. About 40,000 species of fishes
are known. Various workers have provided different schemes of their classification.
However, no classification had been universally accepted because of the confusion due to the
staggering numbers of fishes and great diversity in their shape, size, habits and habitat.
According to Parker and Haswell (1960) the superclass Pisces is sub-divided into three
classes., essentially

Placodermi
(i) These include all extinct fishes found from early Devonian to Permian period.
(ii) Body heavily armoured with bony scales or plates.
(iii) Primitive jaws with teeth.
(iv) Paired or unpaired fins were present.
(v) Skeleton bony.
(vi) Notochord persistent throughout life.
(vii) They are immediate ancestors of astracoderms.
The class placodermi includes six subclasses.
Pisces
• Aquatic, freshwater or marine, herbivorous or carnivorous, cold blooded, oviparous or ovoviviparous
vertebrates.
• Body usually streamlined, and spindle-shaped, some are elongated snake-like and a few are dorsoventrally
compressed, and differentiated into head, trunk and tail.
• Locomotion by paired pectoral and pelvic fins along with median dorsal and caudal fins, supported by true
dermal fin-rays. Muscular tail used in propulsion.
• Exoskeleton of dermal scales, denticles or bony plates (in Placodermi) covering body surface. Placoid in
Chondrichthyes and ganoid, cycloid or ctenoid in Osteichthyes.
• Endoskeleton is cartilaginous or bony. The notochord in usually replaced by vertebrae, either bone or cartilage.
The presence of well-developed skull and a system of visceral arches, of which the first pair forms the upper
and lower jaws, the latter movably articulated with the skull.
• Muscles arranged into segments called my tomes, with separate dorsal and ventral parts.
• Alimentary canal with definite stomach and pancreas and terminates into cloaca or anus.
• Organs of respiration are gills. Gill-slits 5 to 7 pairs, naked or covered by an operculum.
• Heart is venous and two-chambered, i.e., one auricle and one ventricle. Sinus venous ,renal, and portal systems
are present. Erythrocytes nucleated.
• Poikilothermous.
• Kidneys mesonephros. Excretions are ureotelic.
• Brain with usual five parts. Cranial nerves ten pairs.
• Nostrils are paired but do not open into pharynx except Dipnoi. Nasal capsules are
partly separate in Chondrichthyes and completely separate in Osteichthyes.
• Tympanic cavity and ear ossicles are absent.
• Internal ear with three semicircular canals.
• The lateral line system is well developed.
• Sexes separate. Gonads are typically paired. Gonoducts open into the cloaca or
independently.
• Fertilisation internal or external. Females of Chondrichthyes are oviparous or
ovoviviparous; Osteichthyes are mostly oviparous and rarely ovoviviparous or
viviparous. Eggs with a large amount of yolk. Cleavage meroblastic.
• Extra-embryonic membranes are absent.
• Development usually direct without or with little metamorphosis.
 Chondricthyes
● They are mostly marine fishes.
● They contain a pair of jaws. Their jaws are very powerful.
● Whale sharks are the second largest vertebrate and the largest fish. Some whale sharks measure up to 15 m in
length.
● The mouth is present ventrally.
● They contain cartilaginous endoskeleton, the deposits of calcium salts provide strength to it.
● The notochord is present throughout life.
● Most of them contain a heterocercal tail. The tail has two lobes, the upper lobe is elongated and vertebrae
extends into it and a shorter lower lobe, giving rise to the distinct heterocercal tail.
● The skin is covered by minute tooth-like structures called placoid scales.
● Their teeth are modified placoid scales and are not attached to jawbones. They are embedded in the tissue. Old
teeth fall and are continuously replaced by the new teeth formed behind it.
● They contain 5-7 pairs of gills. Gaseous exchange occurs through the water current that passes over the gills.
● They lack air bladders so they swim actively to avoid sinking.
● They are poikilotherms or cold-blooded animals and lack the capacity to regulate their internal body
temperature.
● They are predatory fishes, they feed on other fishes, crustaceans and molluscs. They filter food particles like
planktons from the water current that passes through the mouth, pharynx and gills.
● The heart is two-chambered, contains one auricle and one ventricle.
● They contain a brain and a spinal cord, protected by vertebrae.
● Sense organs are well developed. They have the ability to detect their prey electrically. Sharks contain
electroreceptors on their head, which can sense the electric current generated by the movement of their prey.
It also helps them in navigation.
● It also has sensory cells in the lateral line organ, which detect all the kinds of vibration, motion, water
pressure surrounding them.
● Some of them possess electric organs or poison sting, which are used for defence as well as predation.
● The digestive system comprises a mouth, pharynx, stomach, intestine (straight) and cloaca present on the
ventral side. Cloaca has a dual function in females and also acts as a reproductive organ apart from excretion.
● Male and females are separate and have internal fertilization. Skates and some sharks are oviparous, most of
the sharks are ovoviviparous and a few are viviparous.
● Adult males bear claspers on their pelvic fins. These are used to transfer sperms to the cloaca of a female.

The cartilaginous fishes first appear in the Devonion period .They can be divided into two group.
• Elasmobranchii – plate gilled – have five to seven gill openings on each side head
• Holoceohali have single external gill aperture (Rat fish and chimera)
• THE EARLIEST ELASMOBRANCHS The extinct shark-like fishes are represented by
the Palaeozoic genus Cladoselache and Xenacanthus. The Cladosclache grew up to
2 m with a terminal mouth, heterocercal tail, persistent notochord and five gill
apertures. The characteristic feature was the large pectoral fin showing primitive
structure, having a wide base with no anterior and posterior constriction to
separate the fin from the body. The first and sometimes the second dorsal fins
were preceded by stout spines. Pelvic fins were smaller but had a structure similar
to the pectorals. The caudal fin was externally symmetrical, but its internal
structure was asymmetrical. Teeth were sharp, pointed and efficient for feeding on
fishes.

• THE SHARKS AND RAYS Sharks, skates and rays (the Neoselachii) probably evolved
from a Cladoselache- like ancestor. The sharks (pleurotremate elasmobranchs) are
characterised by elongated or fusiform body, amphi-or hyostylic skull, and
heterocercal tail. The gill openings (trem) are situated on the sides of the head. The
skates and rays (hypotremate clasmobranchs) have the gill openings on the ventral
side of the head.
• Hybodontoidea- protoselachians • Heterodontoidea
1. Feeded on lower invertebrates Heterodontus, the Port Jackson
during Permian-Triassic period of shark of the Pacific is often regarded
pelozoic era.
as a surviving member of the
2. The lower jaw was rather short. In hybodont group though other
some types, there were only five workers place it with the galeoids.
branchial arches (*Hybodus).
3. The notochord was still Its characteristic teeth, are found
unconstricted. back to the Middle Jurassic. As the
name implies they are of two types,
4. The pectoral fin was free from the
body wall posteriorly and had three pointed ones in front and flattened
distinct basal elements. ones, for crushing molluscs, behind
• Hexanchoidea • Galeoidea
1. amphistylic jaw and an 1. 73 per cent of all living species of sharks,
unconstricted notochord. mainly inhabiting shallow tropical and
warm temperate seas.
2. six gill slits 2. They have two dorsal fins, not supported
3. Hexanchus and Heptranchus are by spines.
long-bodied, slow-moving sharks 3. In Mustelus the teeth are square and flat
from warm waters. and are used for crushing.
4. They are viviparous but without 4. Carcharinus, the grey sharks up to 4 m
placentae. long, are among the most abundant and
economically important of all.
5. Chlamydoselachus, the frilled shark, 5. They occur in all seas and some fresh
lives in deep water and feeds on waters and are widely used for food, oil,
cephalopods. and leather
• Batoidea: • Squaloidea:
1. Gill slits ventral. 1. Squaloidea includes the sharks of
2. Body depressed; flat or disc-like. cold and deep waters. There is a spine
3. Anterior margins of the pectorals fused with in front of each dorsal fin. Gill slits
sides of the body and head.
lateral (on each side of the gill).
4. Two halves of pectoral girdle are joined with
each other or with vertebral column. 2. Body more or less cylindrical.
5. Flattened teeth. Specialised to feed on molluscs. 3. Anterior margin of the pectoral fins
6. In certain species of Raja, for example, there is a free.
pattern of black and white marks, which probably
serves to break up the outline of the fish. 4. cartilage is not attached to the
7. the eyes of the skates and rays have moved on to olfactory capsule in the skull.
the upper surface of the head and are protected by
well-developed lids. 5. Two halves of the pectoral girdle are
8. Respiration is through spiracle. separate.
Ex. Dasyatis (Sting ray), Torpedo (Electric ray), 6. Teeth sharp and swift swimmers
Pristis(saw-fish), Rhinobatus (Guitar
fish) Ex. Sharks viz.; spiny dogfish Squalus
Holocephali
• THE HOLOCEPHALIA small group of cartilaginous fishes became highly specialised and are included
in the sub class Holocephali.
• They appeared in the Jurassic and are represented by three existing genera, Chimaera,
Callorhynchus and Harriotta.
• The extinct representatives are Squaloraja and Myriacanthus.
• The Holocephali appear to have descended from some primitive elasmobranch ancestor and
became highly specialised while retaining a soft anatomy similar to sharks. They are all marine
found in water below 80 m, but move to shallow areas to deposit eggs.
• Chimaera, popularly known as the 'rat fish' or the 'king of Herrings, is abundantly found along the
coasts of Europe, Japan, Australia, North America and New Zealand. Chimaera has a shark-like
body with a blunt conical snout.
• Pectoral fins are large fan-like. The tail is filamentous and looks like a diphycercal. The male has a
peculiar club-like frontal clasper on the head. A pair of claspers armed with denticles are present in
front of the pelvic fins. As in sharks, a pair of ordinary claspers are also behind the pelvic fins.
• Ratfish
SALIENT FEATURES
1. Holostylic jaw. These fishes have a shark-like body with a relatively large compressed head, a small mouth and large
eyes
2. Skin is smooth, silvery and placoid scales occur in patches in Chimaera.
3. Spiracle is absent.
4. The urinogenital aperture and the anus are separate, and there is no cloaca
5. Two dorsal and a ventral fin are present. The second dorsal fin in Chimaera is fairly long. Pectoral fins are relatively
large in size and pelvics are smaller..
6. Tail is generally heterocercal, but in Chimaera it appears to be diphycercaland in the form of a whip-like filament.
7. A peculiar frontal clasper is present on the head of male Chimaera, which also has a pair of claspers covered with
denticles situated anterior to the pelvic fins. As in sharks, a pair of ordinary claspers are behind the pelvic fins.
8. The lateral line system is well developed. It is in the form of a groove in Chimaera but a closed tube in
Callorhynchus.
9. Mouth is small in size and ventrally placed. The alimentary canal is a simple, straight tube from mouth to anus. A
true stomach is not present the intestine has a spiral valve.
10. Teeth are large and in the form of hard plates composed of vasodentine. These crushing plates have irregular
surfaces and sharp cutting edge. The upper jaw has two such pairs of teeth, while only one pair is present in the
lower jaw. In addition to these, a small vomerine tooth and a pair of palatine teeth are also present in the roof of
the buccal cavity.
General Characters
1. The endoskeleton is cartilaginous in the embryonic stage, but in the adult forms more or
less it is replaced by bones. Thus they have bony endoskeleton. They are ectothermic (cold
blooded). There are about 25,000 species of bony fishes. .
2. Caudal fin usually homocercal symmetrical (Gr. homosalike).
3. The exoskeleton, if present comprises cycloid, ctenoid or ganoid scales, which are dermal in
origin.
4. The mouth is terminal. Digestive tract leads into an anus. Cloaca is absent in bony fishes.
5. External nares lie on the dorsal surface of the snout. In lung fishes internal nares are also
present.
6. Bony fishes have a sac-like outgrowth, the swim bladder (also called air bladder), arising
from the dorsal wall of the oesophagus, which is air-filled organ, used to maintain balance
and to swim up and down. In some fishes, such as Heteropneustes, it helps in respiration.
7. They have 4 pairs of gills which are covered by an operculum on each side.
8. The heart is 2-chambered (one auricle and one ventricle) and also has sinus venosus and conus arteriosus. Lung
fishes have three chambered heart. (Two auricles and one ventricle). Bony fishes have well developed renal portal
system. RBCs are oval and nucleated.
9. Kidneys are mesonephric. Ammonia is chief nitrogenous waste.
10. There are present 10 pairs of cranial nerves.
11. The brain bears relatively small olfactory lobes and cerebellum.
12. Lateral line system is well developed.
13. They have internal ears which helps the fish keep its balance. The nictitating membrane in the eye of fish is
well developed.
14. Fertilization is generally external. Most forms are oviparous, some are ovoviviparous. Development is direct
except in Anguilla where development is indirect with a larva lepto- cephalous. Some bony fishes show parental
care.
15. Bony fishes occur in all sort of waters— fresh, marine, brackish
Examples: Marine Fishes — Exocoetus, Hippocampus, Solea, Echeneis (Sucker fish), Lophius (Angler fish).
Fresh Water Fishes — Labeo, Catla, Clarias (Magur), Anguilla, Anabas, Mystus
Acanthodii
• Oldest known gnathostomes close to
Selachii.
• Small fishes with fusiform bodies,
heterocercal tail, and two dorsal fins.
Lateral fins composed of a series of
pairs down the sides of the body
(stabilizing and supposted by large
spines).
• Rhomboidal scales composed of
layers of material resembling bone
and covered by a shining material
Ganoin. Teeth are modified scales
Actinopterygii
• Animals at the earliest level.
Those of an intermediate level
are Holestei, some of which
gave rise to mordern infracass
Teleostei. The three infraclass
are: 1) Chondrostei, 2)Holostei
and 3) Teleostei