Dictionary of Ichthyology
Brian W. Coad and Don E. McAllister†
Symbols
There does not appear to be many symbols peculiar to ichthyology; the following are some general ones that might be encountered, eclectically grouped.
dam = a barrier controlling the flow of water and backing up water. Forms a lacustrine habitat (the reservoir) for fish where one did not exist before. Initially fish production is very high when stocked but declines as nutrients from flooded terrestrial ecosystems are used up. Release of water from reservoirs may radically affect fish downstream by changes in temperature regimes, flushing of habitats, and changes in silt loads. Storage dams store water and diversion dams divert water.
fish cleaning = the act of cleaning a fish for food. Presumably the symbol means that this can be carried out at the designated spot and facilities for waste disposal are available.
fish hatchery = a place or establishment for spawning, incubating and hatching fish eggs and for the rearing of young for release into the wild.
fish ladder = a series of steps with flowing water and pools enabling a fish to circumvent an obstruction such as a dam by leaping from step to step. Also called fishway, fish pass.
fish restaurant = an establishment serving fish as a major food on the menu.
fish spear = a trident with barbs or flukes is the symbol for the staff of Greek Poseidon or Roman Neptune, gods of the sea.
fish symbol = ichthus (a representation of a fish; an amulet or talisman shaped like a fish; an iconographic symbol for Christ from the initials in the Greek phrase Iesous Christos Theou Huios Soter (Jesus Christ Son of God Saviour). Also spelt ichthys).
fishing = capturing of fish (and other aquatic animals) by any and all means for any and all purposes.
ice fishing = international symbol.
no fish cleaning = prohibition of the act of cleaning a fish for food.
no fishing = appears in various forms, usually a fish inside a red circle with a diagonal bar denying permission, as with road signs.
no ice fishing = prohibition of ice fishing, i.e. fishing through holes cut in the ice of lakes or rivers, using specially designed gear and often with a shack positioned over the hole to mitigate the weather conditions.
Pisces = the zodiacal sign is two fish swimming in opposite directions. The sun enters this section of the zodiac around February 19, and leaves it on the spring equinox, around March 20.
zone = 2) a fishing zone is a zone of variable width (up to 200-nautical-miles) proclaimed by a coastal State around its coast, within which it controls domestic and foreign access to fish resources.
<>< = fish, as an e-mail symbol.
& = and (the symbol is called an ampersand).
@ = at.
Є = Cambrian, the earliest period of the Palaeozoic Era, ca. 570-504 million years ago.
℅ = care of.
≡ = congruence sign, used to indicate objective synonyms (q.v.) in nomenclature.
© = 1) copyright.
© = 2) Cambrian Period.
† = crucifix (1) a Christian symbol used before the name of an author to indicate (s)he died before publication or, in an ongoing website with several authors, that this contributor is deceased. Also called a dagger).
† = crucifix (2) in a synonymy, used to indicate a misidentification. Also called a dagger).
† = crucifix (3) a footnote marker. Also called a dagger).
! = exclamation mark. Used on labels, after a museum abbreviation and after a collection number to indicate that the material has been examined by the author of the work.
™ = trade mark.
♀ = female.
♂ = male.
─O = mating, pairing with being the male and O being the female.
% = percent (10-2).
‰ = permille (10-3).
= = equal to, equals, the equals sign. Often used to indicate subjective synonyms in nomenclature.
≠ = not equal to, unequal.
∞ = infinity.
≡ = identical with.
≈ = approximately equal to.
~ = proportional to (tilde).
< = less than.
> = greater than.
<< = much less than.
>> = much greater than.
≤ = less than or equal to.
≥ = greater than or equal to.
+ = plus
- = minus.
x = 1) times, multiplied by.
x = 2) in nomenclature, used to indicate hybrids between two species with the female parent's scientific name first, e.g. in a hybrid formula Rutilus rutilus x Abramis brama.
* = times, multiplied by (asterisk on calculators).
· = times, multiplied by.
÷ = divided by.
/ = divided by ((forward stroke on calculators).
: = divided by (European usage).
± = plus or minus.
# = octothorpe or pound key.
˚ = degree (of temperature, latitude and longitude).
' = minutes of latitude and longitude.
" = seconds of latitude and longitude.
? = question mark, used to indicate an uncertain identification of a species or other taxon, or to indicate that the a new species is only tentatively assigned to a particular genus - such a name can be validly published.
(.....) = 1) round brackets, placed around the author name and date of publication of a scientific name to indicate that the the species name or epithet is now placed in a different genus than that of the original description.
(.....) = 2) round brackets, placed around a subgenus or former genus name name between the genus and species names.
[.....] = 1) square brackets, placed around a word or phrase to clarify a quotation taken out of context.
[.....] = 2) square brackets, in a citation in a bibliography used to indicate an author originally anonymous or to indicate the date was not given in the work or differs from the one given.
[.....] = 3) square brackets, placed around the epithet of a superspecies in the citation of an allospecies (q.v.).
© Brian W. Coad (www.briancoad.com)