Family HEMITRIPTERIDAE 323searavens Marine northwestern Atlantic one species
Minute spines covering the body basihyal absent six branchiostegal rays vertebrae 35-41. Three genera, Blepsias two species , Hemitripterus three, with one, the Sea Raven, in the Atlantic , and Nautichthys three , with eight species Mecklenburg, 2003 . Family AGONIDAE 324 poachers. Marine Arctic, northern North Atlantic, North Pacific, and southern South America. Body covered with bony plates and usually elongate pelvic fins thoracic, with one spine and two soft rays all fin rays unbranched one...
Series MUGILOMORPHA
Order MUGILIFORMES 48 mullets. There has been much disagreement concerning the relationships of the one family placed in this order. Berg 1940 placed the three families Atherinidae, Mugilidae, and Sphyraenidae in the order Mugiliformes at the subperciform level. Gosline 1971 considered the suborder Mugiloidei as a perciform and included the families Polynemidae, Sphyraenidae, Mugilidae, Melanotaeniidae, Atherinidae, Isonidae, Neostethidae, and Phallostethidae. Gosline considered his suborder...
Family PHALLOSTETHIDAE 250tusked silversides and priapiumfishes Freshwater and
All members are compressed and nearly transparent. Dentatherina was recognized in Atherinidae before L. R. Parenti's 1984 study in which she considered it and the phallostethines to be sister taxa this hypothesis was strengthened by Dyer and Chernoff 1996 and the clade is recognized on the basis of several osteological features. Dentatherinines and phallostethines are frequently recognized in separate families e.g., Ivantsoff, 1999 Parenti and Louie, 1998 but are placed in the same family by...
Family PARABROTULIDAE 225false brotulas Marine scattered parts of Atlantic
Scales absent body eel-like mouth small, lower jaw protruding in front of upper dorsal and anal fins confluent with caudal fin, dorsal fin with 37-50 rays, caudal fin with 4-6 rays, and anal fin with 34-43 rays dorsal fin origin posterior, well behind pectoral fin two nostrils on each side of head no sensory pores on head neuromasts free pelvic fins absent pectoral fin small, with 6-8 rays ovaries bilobed vertebrae 54-73. Maximum length about 6 cm. Nelson 1994 noted reasons for placing and for...
Family LEPTOSCOPIDAE 440southern sandfishes Marine occasionally in estuaries
Mouth moderately oblique lips fringed eyes dorsal or nearly so lateral line on middle of side body with scales pelvic fins widely separated dorsal and anal fins long. In New Zealand, Leptoscopus macropygus is known to occur also in the lower reaches of slow rivers McDowall, 1990 . Three genera, Crapatulus, Leptoscopus, and Lesueurina,, with five species Nelson, 1994 P. R. Last et al. in Carpenter and Niem, 2001 . Family AMMODYTIDAE 441 sand lances. Marine cold to tropical, Arctic, Atlantic,...
Family SYNAPHOBRANCHIDAE 80cutthroat eels Marine Atlantic Indian and Pacific
Gill openings low on body, at or below insertion of pectoral fin this fin is absent in a few species vertebrae 110-205 third hypobranchial directed forward from midline, meets third ceratobranchial at a sharp angle larvae with diagonally elongated eyes termed telescopic , lens at anterodorsal end. Ten genera and about 32 species C. H. Robins and C. R. Robins in Bohlke, 1989 207-53 Chen and Mok, 1995 Sulak and Shcherbachev, 1997 . Subfamily Ilyophinae dysommatinae arrowtooth eels or mustard eels...
Family OPHIDIIDAE 222cuskeels Marine Atlantic Indian and Pacific
Dorsal fin rays usually equal to or longer than opposing anal fin rays anus and anal fin origin usually behind tip of pectoral fin scales present some with one or more spines on opercle supramaxillary present larvae without a vexillum pelvics rarely absent. Maximum lengths about 1.6 m, attained by Genypterus capensis, and 2.0 m, attained in Lamprogrammus shcherbachevi. Four subfamilies with 48 genera and about 222 species Nielsen et al., 1999 Lea and Robins, 2003 . Fossils include the Tertiary...
Superorder CYPRINODONTEA
Order BELONIFORMES 50 needlefishes. Interarcual cartilage connects the epibranchial of the first gill arch with the infrapharyngobranchial of the second gill arch small or absent small second and third epibranchials interhyal absent lower caudal fin lobe with more principal rays than the upper lobe. In addition, all species of this order have a fixed or nonprotrusi-ble upper jaw. The loss of premaxillae movement is associated with the above noted loss of the interhyal and, in at least the...
Family NOTOPTERIDAE 66featherfin knifefishes or Old World knifefishes
Freshwater, sometimes brackish Africa to Southeast Asia. Maxilla toothed anterior prongs of the swim bladder pass forward to the ear lateral to the skull intracranially in Xenomystus and Papyrocranus also true for mormyrids anal fin long 94-141 rays or 100 or more rays in anal and caudal combined and confluent with a reduced caudal fin dorsal fin small to absent pectoral fin rays 11-17 pelvic fins small 3-6 rays to absent sub-opercular absent lateral line scales 120-180 ventral scutes 25-52...
Family PROCHILODONTIDAE 112flannelmouth characiforms Freshwater South America
Mouth protractile, forming a sucking disc lips enlarged jaw teeth present, numerous and small predorsal spine present. Superficially resemble the cyprinid Labeo. Maximum length 74 cm TL., attained in Prochilodus lineatus. Three genera, Ichthyoelephas 2 , Prochilodus 13 , and Semaprochilodus 6 , with about 21 species Vari, 1983 Castro and Vari, 2003 . Unnamed clade of Family ANOSTOMIDAE Family CHILODONTIDAE. Mandible relatively short upper and lower pharyngeal dentition enlarged two or more...
Family PLESIOPIDAE 344roundheads Marine IndoWest Pacific
Third branchiostegal ray extending farther posteriorly than adjacent rays resulting in a projection on the margin of the branchiostegal membrane except in Calloplesiops lateral line incomplete or disjunct. Maximum length about 20 cm. Two subfamilies, 11 genera, and about 46 species e.g., Mooi, 1995, 1999 . Subfamily Plesiopinae Roundheads OR Longfins Scales on gill cover and often on top of head dorsal fin with 11-15 spines and 6-21 soft rays anal fin with three spines and 7-23 soft rays pelvic...
Superorder CYCLOSQUAMATA
Order AULOPIFORMES 39 lizardfishes. Second pharyngobranchial greatly elongated posterolaterally, extending away from third pharyngobranchial, with elongated uncinate process of second epibranchial contacting third pharyngobranchial, and as noted byJohnson, 1992 third pharyngobranchial lacking cartilaginous condyle for articulation of second epibranchial swim bladder absent medial processes of pelvic girdle fused. The specialization in the gill arches is apparently not known in any other teleost...
Superorder GALEOMORPHI
Anal fin present members of the other superorder with living species, the Squalomorphi, lack the anal fin, except for the Hexanchiformes . The recognition of galeomorphs as a monophyletic group follows the many works of Leonard J.V. Compagno e.g., Compagno 1988, 2001 . The composition is the same as the division Galeomorphii of de Carvalho 1996 , superorder Galea of Shirai 1996 , and superorder Galeomorphi of Compagno 2001 all have the same four orders as here. The sequencing of the orders is...
fOrder LYCOPTERIFORMES Incertae sedis
tFamily LYCOPTERIDAE. Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous freshwater eastern Asia. Includes the well-known genus Lycoptera. Li and Wilson 1996 , on the basis of four synapomrphies, regarded the Lycopteridae as stem-group osteoglos-somorphs, sister to all extant clades. In what I regard as a minor difference, Hilton 2003 placed it incertae sedis, finding it to be either the sister group of all other osteoglossomorphs he sampled or of Eohiodon Hiodon. Order HIODONTIFORMES 21 mooneyes. Placement of...
Family HEPSETIDAE 125African pikes Freshwater tropical Africa
Elongate pikelike body long snout and large mouth with a few large canines and smaller pointed teeth dorsal fin with seven rays placed before origin of anal fin which has nine rays each also with two rudimentary rays pelvic fin with nine rays lateral line scales 49-58, cycloid adipose fin present. Maximum length 65 cm SL. Eggs are laid in a nest of floating foam. This species is considered to be a gamefish. One species, Hepsetus odoe T. R. Roberts in Daget et al., 1984 138-39 Poll and Gosse,...
fSuperfamily Hypsidoroidea tFamily HYPSIDORIDAE
Teeth on a well-developed maxilla similar to the condition in diplomystids one suprapreopercle six infraorbital bones 17 principal caudal fin rays. Two species, Hypsidoris farsonensis from the Early Middle Eocene of Wyoming and H. oregonensis from the Middle Eocene of Oregon Grande and de Pinna, 1998 . Superfamily Loricarioidea. Seven families with 156 genera and 1,187 species. Family AMPHILIIDAE 128 loach catfishes. Freshwater tropical Africa. Three pairs of barbels nasal barbels absent dorsal...
Family CHANNIDAE 487snakeheads Freshwater tropical Africa and southern Asia
Body elongate long dorsal and anal fins pelvic fins usually present some Asian species of Channa lack the pelvics , with six rays no fin spines cycloid or ctenoid scales lower jaw protruding beyond upper suprabranchial organ for air breathing present. Maximum length about 1.2 m. Distribution maps and descriptive information for the species are given in Courtenay and Williams 2004 . Two genera, Channa 26, synonym Ophicephalus and Parachanna 3 , with about 29 species Courtenay and Williams, 2004...
Class THALIACEA salps
Larvae and adults transparent pelagic adults may be solitary or colonial . They tend to be planktonic but are generally capable of weak movements. Remarkable life cycles are characteristic of this group, with sexual and asexual reproductive stages occurring. Order PYROSOMIDA. Marine seas except the Arctic. Tubular colonies with a common atrial chamber. They can emit a strong phosphorescent light. The colonies usually vary in length from about 3 cm to 1 m. Order DOLIOLIDA Cyclomyaria . Marine...
SUBPHYLUM CEPHALOCHORDATA Acrania in part
The notochord extends to the anterior end of the body, in front of the brain. No cranium no vertebrae no cartilage or bone heart consisting of a contractile vessel no red corpuscles liver diverticulum segmented musculature epidermis with a single layer of cells protonephridia with solenocytes for excretion endostyle present with iodine-fixing cells, it may be homologous with the thyroid of vertebrates , produces mucus that entraps food particles true brain absent, but two pairs of cerebral...
Family NOMEIDAE 480driftfishes Marine tropical and subtropical seas
Pelvic fins present in adult two dorsal fins, the first with 9-12 slender spines and the second with 0-3 spines and 15-32 soft rays anal fin with 1-3 spines and 14-30 soft rays. Maximum length about 1 m. The 10-cm Nomeus gronovii Man-of-War Fish is circumtropical and usually found with the Portuguese Man-of-War Physalia . The fish swims unharmed among the stinging tentacles. Three genera, Cubiceps, Nomeus, and Psenes, with about 16 species P. R. Last in Carpenter and Niem, 2001 Haedrich, 2003 ....
Class MYXINI
deepwater Myxine glutinosa lacks a vitreous body, has a poorly differentiated retina, and is buried beneath muscle Locket and J0rgensen, 1998 . The external nasohypophyseal opening is terminal, and it is through this opening that respiratory water passes backward to the gills unlike lampreys . Hagfishes are scavenger feeders, mostly eating the insides of dying or dead invertebrates and other fishes. They are the only craniate in which the body fluids are isosmotic with seawater. The mucous...
Family HALOSAURIDAE 72halosaurs Deepsea worldwide
Maxilla and premaxilla toothed branchiostegal membranes completely separate, rays 9-23 dorsal fin entirely anterior to anus, with 9-13 soft rays, no spines lateral line cavernous and extending full length of body, lateroven-trally scales relatively large, fewer than 30 longitudinal rows on each side. Three genera with 15 species. Halosaurus, with eight species, occurs in many areas of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific, usually confined to continental margins. Halosauropsis macrochir is in the...
Family CLUPEIDAE 97herrings shads sprats sardines pilchards and menhadens
Primarily marine, some freshwater and anadromous worldwide mostly tropical . Two long, rodlike postcleithra in most mouth usually terminal or nearly so or somewhat superior, usually inferior only in Dorosomatinae teeth small or absent abdominal scutes usually present the Dussumieriinae round herrings usually lack abdominal scutes, except for a single pelvic scute anal fin usually with 12-29 rays, up to 38 in Dorosomatinae scales in lateral series about 40-50 usually 5-10 branchiostegal rays...
Family CONGIOPODIDAE 309racehorses pigfishes or horsefishes Marine Southern
Snout relatively long body without scales, skin sometimes granular only one nostril on each side gill opening reduced, above pectoral base lateral line usually well developed dorsal fins joined separate in Zanclorhynchus , with 8-21 spines and 8-14 soft rays anal fin with 0-3 spines and 5-10 soft rays pectoral fin with 8-12 rays vertebrae 28-39. Maximum length about 80 cm. Species of this family tend to be benthic and occur up to 500 m in depth. Mandrytsa 2001 placed Alertichthys and...
Family LORICARIIDAE 134suckermouth armored catfishes Freshwater Costa Rica
Body with bony plates mouth ventral, with or without noticeable barbels ventral lip papillose adipose fin, when present, usually with a spine at anterior border relatively long intestine 23-38 vertebrae. Members of this family may be found from low elevations to swift-flowing streams up to 3,000 m. Pleco or plecostomus is a name used in the aquarium trade for species in several genera of this family. This is the largest family of catfishes, with more species being described every year. The...
Family AULORHYNCHIDAE 290tubesnouts Coastal marine North Pacific
Body elongate, with lateral bony scutes series of 24-26 very short isolated dorsal spines, followed by a normal dorsal fin with about 10 soft rays pelvic fin with one spine and four soft rays caudal fin with 13 rays four branchiostegal rays circu-morbital ring complete posteriorly epineurals 0-3 Johnson and Patterson, 1993, note that the epipleurals of acanthomorphs, except for Polymixia, are epineurals vertebrae 52-56. Adult males of Aulichthys have a well-developed urogenital papilla. Maximum...
tSuperorder POROLEPIMORPHA
Branchiostegal rays 0-3, gular plates present caudal fin heterocercal or diphycercal. Unfortunately, a stable cladistic classification of members of this group, which may be paraphyletic, does not exist. Campbell and Barwick 2001 critically discussed problems arising in hypothesizing, in cladistic analysis, relationships in lungfishes in particular, whether or not Diabolepis is, as regarded by some, the sister group of the Dipnoi. Some of the fossil families recognized in Cloutier and Ahlberg...
J S N
SEQUENCE OF CLASSES AND ORDERS with ordinal number.family numbers used in text Myxini Petromyzontida Placodermi Chondrichthyes Tetrapoda 1 Certodontiformes 62.513-515 Tetraodontiformes 60.503-511 Pleuronectiformes 59.489-502 Perciformes 58.329-488 Scorpaeniformes 57.303-328 Synbranchiformes 56.300-302 Gasterosteiformes 55.289-299 Zeiformes 54.283-288 Beryciformes 53.276-282 Stephanoberyciformes 52.267-275 ECyprinodontiformes 51.257-266 Beloniformes 50.252-256 Atheriniformes 49.246-251...
Family STERNOPTYCHIDAE 180marine hatchetfishes Marine Atlantic Indian and
Six to 10 branchiostegal rays, three on epihyal posterior ceratohyal 3-7 usually six branchiostegal photophores pseudobranch present reduced or lost in most other stomiiforms . Ten genera and about 67 species. Subfamily Maurolicinae. Body elongate, never extremely compressed adipose fin present or absent 19-38 anal fin rays photophores present on isthmus, six on branchiostegal membrane. This taxon is probably paraphyletic Harold and Weitzman, 1996 . Seven genera, Araiophos, Argyripnus,...
Family MONOCENTRIDAE Monocentrididae 279pinecone fishes Marine tropical and
Body covered with large, heavy platelike scales phosphorescent luminous bacteria light organs on lower jaw pelvic fin with one large spine and two to four small soft rays two dorsal fins, the first with 4-7 strong spines alternating from side to side and the second with 9-12 soft rays anal fin with 10-12 soft rays no spines pectoral fin with 13-15 rays branchiostegal rays eight. Maximum length about 21 cm. Two genera, Cleidopus and Monocentris, with four species Kotlyar, 1996 . They occur...
Family ECHENEIDAE Echeneididae 363remoras sharksuckers Marine Atlantic Indian
Body elongate, head flattened, and lower jaw projecting past upper jaw scales small, cycloid dorsal and anal fins lacking spines, each with about 18-45 soft rays swim bladder absent branchiostegal rays 8-11 26-41 vertebrae sucking disc on head developed from a transformed spinous dorsal fin, the spines of which are split to form 10-28 transverse movable lamina inside a fleshy margin . The remora presses the disc against other fishes and creates a partial vacuum by operating the movable disc...
Family ENGRAULIDAE Engraulididae and Stolephoridae 95anchovies Marine
Suspensorium inclined forward with head of hyomandibular well in front of quadrate, hind tip of upper jaw maxilla extending well behind eye in most species and jaw articulation well behind eye mesethmoid projecting in front of vomer and supporting a paired sensory rostral organ snout blunt, prominent, projecting beyond tip of lower jaw in most species only just beyond in some Old World anchovies gill rakers 10-50 or more on lower limb of first arch, 90 or more 100 or more on both limbs in...
tSubclass ASTRASPIDA
Thick, glassy enameloid caps on the tubercles of the ornamentation eyes small and laterally placed gill openings at least eight, relatively large and with no cover paired fins absent Janvier, 1996 . fOrder ASTRASPIDIFORMES. Marine North American and Siberian, Upper Ordovician to Lower Silurian, jawless vertebrates, comprising at least Astraspis including Pycnaspis . The poorly known Ordovician Eriptychius placed in the Eriptychiida e.g., Gagnier, 1993 Janvier, 1996 is placed here by some...
tFamily ARARIPICHTHYIDAE Position uncertain
Body deep dorsal and anal fins with long base pelvic fins and skeleton absent pectoral fins attached low on body caudal fin forked teeth in jaws absent pre-maxilla protractile and forming border of upper jaw supramaxilla present supraorbitals absent. J. G. Maisey and S. Blum in Maisey 1991 208-15 note many similarities between this taxon and the lampriforms. However, they do not find evidence to support earlier suggestions that it is an acanthopterygian or a beryciform. They also cast doubt on...
Family CHANNICHTHYIDAE Chaenichthyidae 431crocodile icefishes Marine Antarctic
Gill membranes united mouth nonprotractile snout produced and depressed spinous dorsal fin present pelvic fins broad or elongate vertebrae 22-31. Maximum length 75 cm. Most or all species are without red blood cells, and their blood is nearly colorless. The muscles lack myoglobin. Survival is probably permitted by the fish living in extremely cold, well-oxygenated water and having skin respiration and a large volume of blood that is efficiently circulated. Eleven genera, Chaenocephalus,...
Family CENTRISCIDAE 299shrimpfishes Marine IndoPacific
Extremely compressed, razorlike body with sharp ventral edge body almost entirely encased by thin bony plates that are expansions of the vertebral column first dorsal spine long and sharp at extreme end of body, followed by two shorter spines soft dorsal fin and caudal fin displaced ventrally no lateral line mouth toothless. Swimming is in a vertical position, snout down. Maximum length up to 15 cm. As with many of the other gasterosteiform families, there are many Tertiary fossils known....
Order PRISTIFORMES 14sawfishes One family
Family PRISTIDAE 44 sawfishes. Marine rarely occurring in freshwater and ascending rivers , circumtropical, continental shelves Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific. Snout produced in a long flat blade with teeth on each side teeth of equal size and embedded in deep sockets barbels absent body somewhat sharklike, although the head is depressed two distinct dorsal fins and a caudal fin. Maximum length over 6 m. Two genera, Anoxypristis 1 and Pristis 4-7 , with about seven species de Carvalho and...
Family ZEIDAE 288dories Marine Atlantic Indian and Pacific
Large buckler scales with posteriorly directed processes present along bases of dorsal and anal fins. Also known as John dory and St. Peter fish. Two genera, Zenopsis and Zeus, with about five species. Order GASTEROSTEIFORMES 55 sticklebacks. Pelvic girdle never attached directly to the cleithra supramaxillary, orbitosphenoid, and basisphenoid absent postcleithrum a single bone or absent branchiostegal rays 1-5 body often with armor of dermal plates mouth usually small. As noted in greater...
Family DIODONTIDAE 510porcupinefishes burrfishes Marine Atlantic Indian and
Body inflatable body covered with well-developed sharp spines in some species the spines erect only when body is inflated two fused teeth in jaws parrotlike premaxillae and dentaries completely fused to opposite member at midline. Adults inhabit inshore waters while the young are pelagic. Six genera, Allomycterus, Chilomycterus, Cyclichthys, Diodon, Lophodiodon, and Tragulichthys, with 19 species J. M. Leis in Carpenter and Niem, 2001 . Family MOLIDAE 511 molas. Marine tropical and subtropical...
Family APLOACTINIDAE 306velvetfishes Marine primarily coastal parts of western
Body usually covered with modified, prickly scales giving a velvety appearance some species lack the prickles and have a smooth skin head armed with knoblike lumps rarely with pungent spines all fin rays unbranched anal fin spines usually indistinct rarely pungent or absent origin of dorsal fin far forward, above eye or almost so except in Adventor and Peristrominous anterior 3-5 dorsal fin spines usually divergent, either elevated or largely devoid of connecting membrane four species with...
Family ACROPOMATIDAE 335lanternbellies Marine Atlantic Indian and Pacific
Two dorsal fins, the first with 7-10 spines and the second with or without a spine and 8-10 soft rays anal fin with two or three spines and 7-9 soft rays seven branchiostegal rays 25 vertebrae. The three species of Acropoma have light organs and the anus near the pelvic fin base the only other perciforms with such an anterior anus is the serranid Bullisichthys caribbaeus and the apogo-nid Apogon gularis. The family common name used in Nelson 1994 was temperate ocean-basses. Eight genera,...
Classification And Systematics
Classification is the practice of arranging items into groups or categories, and a classification is the resulting arrangement. Taxa singular taxon are groups of organisms recognized in a classification and given biological names e.g., Salmoniformes, Salmonidae, Oncorhynchus, Oncorhynchus nerka . A category is the level or rank at which the taxon is placed e.g., order, family, genus, species . Generally, the objective in constructing a classification of a group of organisms is to show in a...
Family RADIICEPHALIDAE 205tapertails Marine central and eastern Atlantic and
Body elongate and laterally compressed, tapering to a thin caudal filament caudal fin with small upper lobe of four rays and long, slender lower lobe of seven rays dorsal fin with 152-159 rays anal fin vestigial, with seven rays pectorals and pelvics each with up to nine rays pelvic rays tend to be lost with development scales along lateral line but absent on rest of body ribs present swim bladder well developed brown ink sac, which discharges into the cloaca the ink, like that of Lophotus, may...
Family STERNOPYGIDAE 164glass knifefishes Freshwater Panama and South America
Villiform teeth present on the upper and lower jaws infraorbital bone series complete, bones enlarged, partial cylinders with slender osseous arches, and with an enlarged sensory canal snout relatively short eye relatively large diameter equal to or greater than distance between nares anal-fin origin at isthmus. Eigenmannia vicentespelaea of Brazil is the only cave-inhabiting gym-notiform Proudlove, 2005 . Maximum length 140 cm, attained in Sternopygus macrurus. The only known fossil,...
Order PRISTIOPHORIFORMES 12saw sharks
Family PRISTIOPHORIDAE 41 saw sharks. Marine rarely in estuaries , temperate to tropical, continental and insular shelves and slopes western Atlantic in region of Bahamas, Florida, and Cuba, southwestern Indian off South Africa, and western Pacific from southern Australia to Japan. Body sharklike snout produced in a long flat blade with teeth on each side teeth unequal in size, usually alternating large and small, and weakly embedded one pair of long barbels no dorsal fin spines sometimes...
Family TRIGLIDAE 310searobins gurnards Marine all tropical and temperate seas
Mouth terminal or slightly inferior head without barbels preorbitals usually projecting forward pectoral fin with lower three rays free and enlarged barbels absent on lower jaw two separate dorsal fins, the first with 7-11 spines and the second with 10-23 soft rays anal fin with 0-1 spines and 11-23 soft rays casquelike, bony head lower two or three pectoral rays enlarged and free, used for detecting food caudal fin with 9 or 10 branched rays tip of snout usually with paired rostral preorbital...
fOrder PETALICHTHYIFORMES
A group of low diversity, with several genera e.g., Eurycaraspis, Lunaspis, and Macropetalichthys, Janvier, 1996 from Lower to Upper Devonian marine in North America, Europe, Morocco, Asia, and Australia. Order PTYCTODONTIFORMES. Large sexually dimorphic pelvic fins with claspers in males fertilization was probably internal many resemblances with living holocephalans. One family, Ptyctodontidae e.g., Ctenurella and Rhamphodopsis , from Lower Devonian to possibly Lower Mississippian primarily...
Family VALENCIIDAE 263Valencia toothcarps Freshwater southeastern Spain Italy
Elongate and attenuate dorsal process of the maxilla rostral cartilage minute or absent total number of rays in dorsal fin 8 11 scales in lateral series 28-34. Fertilization external. One genus, Valencia, with two species Bianco and Miller, 1989 . Superfamily Cyprinodontoidea. The superfamilies Cyprinodontoidea and Poecilioidea are thought to be sister taxa Costa, 1998a . Family CYPRINODONTIDAE 264 pupfishes. Freshwater, brackish water, and coastal marine United States, Middle America, West...
tSubclass HETEROSTRACI
Family AMPHIASPIDIDAE e.g., with the genera Eglonaspis, Kureykaspis, and Prosarctaspis . Family CYATHASPIDIDAE e.g., with the genera Anglaspis, Dinaspidella, Irregulareaspis, Poraspis, and Torpedaspis . Other genera include Nahanniaspis, regarded as the sister group of the Cyathaspididae by Janvier 1996 . fOrder PTERASPIDIFORMES. Dorsal shield composed of several plates, ornamented, except in psammosteids, with concentric dentine ridges. Five major taxa are given in Janvier 1996 , given family...
Family LOBOTIDAE 372tripletails Marine brackish and freshwater most warm seas
Palatine and vomer toothless caudal fin rounded, profile similar to centrar-chids rounded lobes on anal and second dorsal fins giving fish the appearance of having three tails dorsal fin with 12 spines and 15 or 16 soft rays 24 vertebrae. The very young can camouflage themselves by turning sideways and floating like leaves. Maximum length about 1.0 m. The inclusion of the species of Datnioides tigerperches in this family is provisional some works place it in its own family or have aligned it...