Phylum:
Chordata
Subphylum:
Vertebrata
Class:
Osteichthyes
Subclass:
Actinopterygii
Infraclass:
Neopterygii
|
Family: Amiidae
Order: Amiiformes
Genus: Amia
Species: calva |
Introduction
Common names of the bowfin
are "dogfish," "grinnel," and "mudfish." These fish are large predators usually
found in shallow/weedy lakes, swamps, and backwater areas and are capable of
surface respiration due to a fleshy, vascular swimbladder that is connected to
the esophagus. The family is now represented by a single species (Amia
calva). Bowfin are primitive fish and retain: a modified (rounded
externally) heterocercal fin, lunglike gas bladder, vestiges of a spiral valve,
and a bony gular plate underneath the head. The bowfin dates as far back as the
Jurassic period and was distributed in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and
North America. The diet of a juvenile bowfin contains microcrustacea and
small insects, shifting to a piscivorous diet in larger individuals. Adults,
however, consume about two-thirds fish and one-third crayfish. The sexual
maturity of the bowfin occurs at about two to four years of age. The female can
produce 23,000-64,000 adhesive eggs annually throughout an average life span of
about ten years.
* Bowfin are used in comparative as a window
into the past, due to their primitive vertebrate features.
Links:
