AQUATIC BIOLOGY: Internal Anatomy of a Bony Fish – Online Mackerel Dissection
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DATE
The diagram below shows the basic internal features of a bony fish, the largemouth
bass.
http://www.iowas.co.uk/fish%20anatomy.h
tml
In this lab you will follow an online dissection of a mackerel to learn about the internal
anatomy of a fish in preparation for an actual fish dissection in class.
Note: links are on the class website.
First go to this site to learn a little bit about the Atlantic Mackerel, the fish that we will
dissect in class: http://www.fishwatch.gov/profiles/atlantic-mackerel. Scroll down to
“The Science” and use the information to learn about the fish.
Scientific Name:
Common Names:
Location and Habitat:
Biology
Adult size:
How they reproduce:
Life span:
What they eat:
Coloration:
Look at picture: Body type:
Caudal Fin type:
Scroll up to “The U.S. Fisher” and read the status of the Atlantic Mackerel fishery under
“Fishery Management” and “Harvest” Summarize the key points here.
Now go to: http://australianmuseum.net.au/fish-dissections
This site will take you step by step through the dissection of the Blue Mackerel, a
species that is fished in Australian waters. Use the information in the site to familiarize
yourself with the fish dissection process and to learn the function and position of
different internal organs of a bony fish.
Click “dissection of a Blue Mackerel” then click the caption under the first image on the
next page. After that, use the “Next” arrow at the top of each page to progress through
the slideshow. Use the information on each slide to answer the following questions.
1. Where do you begin the dissection of the mackerel?
2. The overall color pattern of the mackerel is
.
3. You will open up the body cavity of the mackerel by cutting from the anus towards
the head of the fish, cutting between the
fins and ending
between the gill covers, called the
.
4. Label the following features on the
image on the right: liver, pyloric
caecae, heart, and adipose (fatty)
tissue.
5. Where is the fish heart located:
How many chambers does it have?
6. What are the main functions of the
liver?
7. Describe the pyloric caecae – what do they look like and what do they do?
8. Move on to the next slide. Where are the kidneys of the fish?
What is their function in a marine fish?
9. Go through the next few slides to the one in which the gut has been pulled forward
to reveal the underlying organs. Label
the kidneys, gonads and swim bladder
on the image on the right.
10. Read about the swim bladder. Where it
located and how does a fish use it to
control its position in the water?
11. Finally, take a look at the gills of the fish. Label the following: gill arch, gill
filaments, and gill rakers. Describe the characteristics and function of each.
Gill filaments:
Gill rakers:
Gill arches: