Knowra Ray-finned fish Ray-finned fish Ray-finned fishes are vertebrates whose fins are supported mainly by slender bony or cartilaginous rays. They form the largest living group of fishes, including most familiar fish species.
Fin : A projecting structure used by aquatic animals for movement, steering, or stability. Ray-finned fishes are defined by fins whose internal support is made largely of rays.
Fish locomotion : Movement through water using body undulations, fins, or both. Fin shape and ray control help determine how ray-finned fishes swim and maneuver.
Actinopterygii : The vertebrate class comprising ray-finned fishes, both living and extinct. This is the scientific name for the lineage represented by ray-finned fishes.
Fisheries : The harvesting and management of wild or farmed aquatic organisms for food and other uses. Many fisheries depend on commercially valuable ray-finned species.
Lobe-finned fish : A group of bony fishes with fleshy, muscular paired fins supported by internal bones. Their fleshy fin structure contrasts with the ray-supported fins defining this group.
Lepidotrichia : Segmented dermal fin rays that support the fins of most ray-finned fishes. These bony rays give the group its characteristic fin structure.
Buoyancy control : Regulation of an organism’s position in a fluid by balancing forces and density. The swim bladder lets many ray-finned fishes maintain depth without continuous swimming.
Palaeonisciformes : An informal grouping of early, generally primitive ray-finned fishes known mainly from fossils. These fossils document early forms of the ray-finned fish body plan.
Aquaculture : The farming of aquatic organisms in controlled freshwater or marine environments. Ray-finned fishes such as salmon and tilapia are widely raised in aquaculture.
Cartilaginous fish : A vertebrate group whose skeleton is primarily cartilage, including sharks, rays, and chimaeras. Cartilaginous fishes differ in skeletal composition and lack the characteristic ray-finned plan.
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