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A superior mouth is a mouth that opens upward, with the lower jaw more anterior than the upper jaw. This is an effect typically seen in fish. This usually means that the fish feeds from the surface of the body of water in which it dwells. A superior mouth is associated with fish in more stationary waters, such as those in lake ecosystems. [1]
Osteichthyes (/ ˌ ɒ s t iː ˈ ɪ k θ iː z / ost-ee-IK-theez; from Ancient Greek ὀστέον (ostéon) 'bone' and ἰχθύς (ikhthús) 'fish'), [2] also known as osteichthyans or commonly referred to as the bony fish, is a diverse superclass of vertebrate animals that have endoskeletons primarily composed of bone tissue.
Greater weever. Trachinus draco is an elongated and laterally flattened fish with upstanding eyes and a distinct superior mouth that is inclined upwards. The lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw.
In most jawed fish, however, there are three general configurations. The mouth may be on the forward end of the head (terminal), may be upturned (superior), or may be turned downwards or on the bottom of the fish (subterminal or inferior). The mouth may be modified into a suckermouth adapted for clinging onto objects in fast-moving water.
The lamprey uses its suction cup-like mouth to attach itself to the skin of a fish and rasps away tissue with its sharp, probing tongue and keratinized teeth. A fluid produced in the lamprey's mouth, called lamphredin, [12] prevents the victim's blood from clotting. Victims typically die from excessive blood loss or infection.
Fish jaws, like vertebrates in general, normally show bilateral symmetry. An exception occurs with the parasitic scale-eating cichlid Perissodus microlepis. The jaws of this fish occur in two distinct morphological forms. One morph has its jaw twisted to the left, allowing it to eat scales more readily on its victim's right flank.
These fish are typically 4 to 10 inches (10 to 25 centimetres) long, but can grow to over one foot (30 cm) in length, and reach 2.25 pounds (1.02 kg). [4] The warmouth is occasionally confused with the rock bass ( Ambloplites rupestris ) or green sunfish ( Lepomis cyanellus ), both of which share its relatively large mouth and heavy body.
Actinopterygii (/ ˌ æ k t ɪ n ɒ p t ə ˈ r ɪ dʒ i aɪ /; from Ancient Greek ἀκτίς (aktis) 'having rays' and πτέρυξ (ptérux) 'wing, fins'), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish [2] that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. [3]