Ichthyology is the branch of zoological sciences devoted to the systematic study of fishes, encompassing their taxonomy, phylogeny, morphology, physiology, development, behavior, ecology, and biogeography. It addresses both extant and extinct fish lineages, integrating molecular and morphological data to resolve evolutionary relationships and classification. Ichthyological research underpins understanding of aquatic ecosystem structure and function, population dynamics, and species responses to environmental change. It provides critical foundations for fisheries science, conservation biology, and environmental monitoring by characterizing species diversity, life histories, habitat requirements, and patterns of endemism, as well as identifying indicators of ecosystem health and anthropogenic impact in marine, brackish, and freshwater systems.
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan have discovered a previously undiscovered behavior in cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). When presented with a mirror, the tiny fish not only recognized themselves, ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 20, 2026
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A new international study reveals the unexpected importance of acoustic communication in the evolution of boxfishes. This discovery offers new perspectives on the role of acoustic communication in the evolutionary history ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 10, 2026
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36
Most shark fossils are just teeth—their cartilage skeletons usually decay long before they can fossilize. But in northwestern Arkansas, a series of geological sites known as the Fayetteville Shale has preserved dozens of ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Feb 9, 2026
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368
New pieces have been added to the puzzle of the evolution of some of the oldest fish that lived on Earth more than 400 million years ago. In two separate studies, experts in Australia and China have found new clues about ...
Evolution
Feb 3, 2026
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100
For decades, sharks have been the unintended victims of longline fisheries aimed at tuna and swordfish. Rising accidental catches have contributed to population declines and created serious challenges for both conservation ...
Ecology
Jan 26, 2026
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36
Antarctic icefish are famous for living without red blood cells, but they are not alone. A species of needle-shaped, warm-water fish called the Asian noodlefish also lacks hemoglobin and red blood cells. Like icefish, its ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 2, 2026
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324
University of Victoria (UVic) biologists have discovered that even closely related fish species make unique and distinctive sounds and determined that it's possible to differentiate between the sounds of different species. ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 19, 2025
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In a study by Dr. Martin Ebert and Dr. Steve Etches published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, the osteology and systematic position of a new species of fossil fish, Brachyichthys manselii comb. nov. was ...
An international, multi-university research team, including scientists from Columbus State University, has unearthed a crucial new piece of the puzzle in the evolution of sharks.
Evolution
Oct 27, 2025
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118
Imagine you are a kind of fish called a goby, part of a huge family of more than 2,000 species. Maybe you're of average size for a goby, about three to four inches long. Your longest relative is about four times your length—more ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 22, 2025
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