VERTEBRAL COLUMN OF TELEOSTS 

  Tail vertebrae 

Amphicoelus centrum  Bears a minute canal in it center for the notochord 

Neural arch  Terminating in a very long sharp neural spine. 

Haemal arch  Terminating in a similar haemal spine. 

Neural Canal  -Space inclosed within the neural arch 

-Generally smaller than the haemal canal 
-Inclosed by the haemal arch, making the dorsal and ventral sides of 
the vertebrae distinguishable 

Trunk vertebrae 

Basal stumps/  -Pair of projections at the sides of the base of the centrum to each of 
Basapophyses  which a long slender rib is articulated 
-Represent the opened bases of the haemal arch 

Composition of Teleost Vertebrae 

Basidorsal and  Form the neural and haemal arches 

basiventral arcualia 

Centra  Compounded of perichordal and sheath elements 

Further study of ribs 

Dorsal ribs  -Articulated to projecting processes of the centrum 

-In intact fishes: it is located in the horizontal septum 

Lower or pleural ribs  -Loosely attached to the ventral surface of the centrum 
 -In intact fishes: found next ot the peritoneum 

Additional ribs  Articulated with centrum or neural arch and extending out into the 
myosepta between myotomes. 

The Vertebral Column as a Whole 

Trunk region of vertebral  Region wherein the haemal arches are reduced to basapophyses 
column  supporting the long slender ribs. 

Tail region of vertebral  Haemal arches are formed through the fusing of the elongated 
column  basapohpyses, which replace the ribs. 

ENDOSKELETAL FIN SUPPORTS OF FISHES 

  Median fins 

Pterygiophores  A row of slender bony rods, sometimes flattened, is articulated with 

the vertebral spines at one end, and the dermal fin rays at the other. 

Tail fin 

Protocercal tail  -Hypothethical primitive 

-Perfectly bilaterally symmetrical with fin developed equally above 
and below the straight vertebral axis 

Heterocercal tail  -Asymmetrical with vertebral axis or notochord bent upward in the 
tail 
-External fin is larger below than above the axos 

Diphycercal tail  -Secondarily symmetrical tails, derived by modification from the 

heterocercal type. 
-Indistinguishable from the protocercal type 

Homocercal tail  Externally more or less symmetrical but internally like a shortened 
 heterocercal type 

Urostyle  Upturned end of the vertebral column with last centrum which turns 
sharply upward.  

Hypural bones  Upturned part of the vertebral column that are enlarged and flattened 
which is accompanied by the haemal arches. 

Epural bones  Corresponds to the enlarged neural arches.