perciform
/ˈpəːsɪfɔːm
/adjective Zoology
Relating to fishes of an order (Perciformes) that comprises those resembling the perches. This is the largest vertebrate order and includes nearly half of all bony fishes.More derived taxa commonly possess fins located higher on the body, near the center of mass of the animal, with more vertically oriented insertions (e.g., perciform fishes)....
- We expect pectoral-fin base orientation to show a more direct relationship to turning performance in taxa with similar body forms (e.g., short-bodied perciform fishes).
- For perciform fishes, the pectoral fin and tail are known to play important roles in propulsion and there is now a substantial literature on the function of these fins.
noun
A perciform fish.Among basal taxa, for instance, Polypterus exhibits nearly vertically inclined pectoral fins; among perciforms, some labroid fishes show more horizontal fin bases....
- Primers designed to amplify and sequence the same genes of perciforms were useful in the present study.
Origin
Late 19th century: from modern Latin Perciformes (plural), from Latin perca 'perch' + forma 'shape'.