Fish bones

Fishes come in such an amazing variety of shapes and sizes. Because of this, there is no 'typical' fish skeleton.

17 Hyomandibula; 18 Symplectic; 19 Quadrate; 20 Pterygoid; 21 Palatine; 22 Endopterygoid (mesopterygoid); 23 Metapterygoid; 24 Preopercule; 25 Opercle; 26 Subopercle; 27 Interopercle; 28 Articular; 29 Angular; 30 Dentary; 31 Maxilla; 32 Premaxilla; 33 Interhyal; 34 Epihyal; 35 Ceratohyal; 36 Basihyal; 37 Glossohyal; 38 Urohyal; 39 Branchiostegals; 49 Preorbital; 50 Suborbital; 51 Nasal; 52 Supratemporal; 53 Post-temporal; 54 Supracleithrum; 55 Cleithrum; 56 Postcleithrum; 57 Hypercoracoid; 58 Hypocoracoid; 60 Actinosts; 61 Pectoral fin; 62 Pelvic girdle; 63 Pelvic (ventral) fin

The illustration is from Jordan, D.S. 1905. Guide to the Study of Fishes. Henry Holt and Company. Pp. 624.

The hagfishes (Class Myxini) and lampreys (Class Petromyzontida) lack jaws and thus have very different skeletons to other fishes.

The sharks, rays and chimaeras (Class Chondrichthyes) have skeletons made of cartilage. Their skulls are sometimes seen washed up on beaches.

The teleosts (Class Actinopterygii) have skeletons made of bone. These are the skeletons that are most commonly encountered by people.

The images on this page show the bones of a Striped Sea-bass, Morone saxatilis.

View high-resolution X-ray computed tomography images of many fishes on the Digimorph site.

References

1. Helfman, G.S., Collette, B.B. & D.E. Facey. 1997. The Diversity of Fishes. Blackwell Science. Pp. 528
2. Jordan, D.S. 1905. Guide to the Study of Fishes. Henry Holt and Company. Pp. 624.

The vertebral column and fins of a Striped Sea-bass.

64 Abdominal vertebrae
65 Caudal vertebrae
66 Centrum
67 Neurapophysis
68 Neural spine
69 Haemapophysis
70 Haemal spine
71 Zygapophysis
72 Parapophysis
73 Ribs
74 Epipleurals
75 Interneural
76 Dorsal fin
77 Interhaemal
78 Anal fin
79 Hypural
80 Caudal fin

The illustration is from Jordan, D.S. 1905. Guide to the Study of Fishes. Henry Holt and Company. Pp. 624.