Gone fishin

You are heading out to do some bass fishing on Claytor Lake. The boat coming in has just filled buckets with these fish. What is the family? Genus? Species? What species are you most likely to confuse this fish with? how will you reliable tell them apart?

A fish to identify

The other day two teenagers were collecting bait minnows in the Roanoke River (legally with a minnow seine). One of the fish they netted up was strange to them. As I asked them to describe what they saw I was able to learn that the fish was small and colorful, 2 1/2 inches long, had two separate dorsal fins, pelvic fins in thoracic position, no scutes on the belly scales. You should be able to name the genus based now. See photo to see the large pectoral and pelvic fins and the color patterns. What you cannot see from the photo is that the branchiostegal membranes are broadly joined together. The rows of dark spots on upper sides and on caudal peduncle are distinguishing marks for the male of this species. What species is this? What species are you most likely to confuse it with?

11 foot long sturgeon caught hook n line

This Sturgeon was caught on the Willamette River just below Oregon City two weeks ago. It weighed out at over 1,000 lbs and measured out at 11'1". It was 56" around the girth and took over 6 and a half hours, and 4 dozen beers, for the 4 guys taking turns at the reeling it in.Any Sturgeon OVER about five feet has to be released unharmed and cannot be removed from the water They are brood / breeding stock and probably older than most senior professors

The sturgeon was released after photograph was taken

Rivulidae

Rivulus Marmoratus
Not much is known about the family rivulidae. The only information I could find came from lecture notes from Dr. Orth's class. I found a paper that was cited in the notes and it focused on rivulus marmoratus. They fertilize thier eggs within the adult (self fertilization), but sometimes can release the eggs without fertilization. This leads us to think that there could be males in the species but none have been found. Sexual maturity is reached in as little as 90 days from hatching. The eggs can withstand dry periods outside of water.

Reproduction in Zeiformes

In Zeiformes the sexes are separate. The females grow larger than males. Spawning has never been obvserved but they are thought to be are "broadcast spawners" with the eggs and sperm being released into the water column and fertilization taking place in the sea. The eggs and larvae are pelagic and float to the surface of the water. There are no reports or nest guarding or parental care.

Scombridae: Reproduction in the Open Ocean

The scombrid fishes are all pelagic spawners, however, there is little known about spawning behavior. Spawning in most scombrids appears to be spread over long periods of time in the tropics, and to be very short in the more temperate regions. Bluefin tuna, for example, spend most of their life in the north Atlantic, but they breed in either the Gulf of Mexico or the Mediterranean. The schooling fishes spawn in open water because it disperses the eggs, which float. Because the eggs float, they are subject to being eaten, and to floating to less than favorable habitat for growth after hatching. To counter, they produce many eggs; they are oviparous. There is obviously no parental care.

Polymixiiformes (Beardfish)

No information on this order's reproduction has been discovered, and beardfish eggs have not been found.