The superorder Elopomorpha contains a variety of types of fishes that range from typical silvery-colored species, such as the tarpons and ladyfishes of the

Elopiformes The Elopiformes are the order of ray-finned fish including the tarpons, tenpounders, and ladyfish, as well as a number of extinct types. They have a long fossil record, easily distinguished from other fishes by the presence of an additional se ...

and the bonefishes of the Albuliformes, to the long and slender, smooth-bodied eels of the

Anguilliformes Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

. The one characteristic uniting this group of fishes is they all have

leptocephalus Leptocephalus (meaning "slim head") is the flat and transparent larva of the eel, marine eels, and other members of the superorder Elopomorpha. This is one of the most diverse groups of teleosts, containing 801 species in 4 orders, 24 famili ...

larvae, which are unique to the Elopomorpha. No other fishes have this type of larvae.

Taxonomy

The Elopomorpha are a group of

teleost Teleostei (; Greek ''teleios'' "complete" + ''osteon'' "bone"), members of which are known as teleosts ), is, by far, the largest infraclass in the class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes, containing 96% of all extant species of fish. Tel ...

fishes and are separated into several orders. * Genus †'' Bullichthys'' Mayrincka, Britob & Otero 2010 * Genus †'' Eichstaettia'' Arratia 1987 * Genus †'' Eoenchelys'' Lu 1994 * Genus †'' Elopomorphorum'' Weiler ex Martin & Weiler 1954 tolith* Order

Gosline 1960 ** Family † Anaethaliidae Gaudant 1968 ** Suborder Elopoidei *** Family Protelopidae de Saint Seine 1949 *** Family Elopidae Bonaparte 1832/Valenciennes 1847 ( tenpounders, ladyfishes) *** Family Megalopidae Jordan 1882 ( Tarpons) * Order Albuliformes Greenwood et al. 1966 sensu Forey et al. 1996 ** Family † Phyllodontidae Sauvage 1875 corrig. Jordan 1923 ** Family Albulidae Bleeker 1849 ( Japanese gissu and bonefishes) * Order

Notacanthiformes The Notacanthiformes are an order of deep-sea ray-finned fishes, consisting of the families Halosauridae and Notacanthidae ( spiny eels). The order is of relatively recent vintage; '' Fishes of the World'' (2006) lists it as the suborder Nota ...

Goodrich 1909 ** Halosauridae Günther 1868 ** Notacanthidae Rafinesque 1810 (Deep sea spiny eels) * Order

** Family † Derrhiidae Jordan 1925b ** Family † Libanechelyidae Taverne 2004 ** Family † Anguillavidae Hay 1903 ** Family † Urenchelyidae Jordan 1905 ** Suborder Protanguilloidei *** Family Protanguillidae Johnson, Ida & Miya 2011 (primitive cave eels) ** Suborder Synaphobranchoidei *** Family Synaphobranchidae Johnson 1862 (cutthroat eels) ** Suborder Muraenoidei Risso 1826 *** Family † Georgidentidae Sychevskaya & Prokofiev 2003 *** Family Pythonichthyidae Böhlke 1966 (mud eels) *** Family Myrocongridae Gill 1890 *** Family Muraenidae Rafinesque 1815 (moray eels) ** Suborder Chlopsoidei *** Family Chlopsidae Rafinesque 1815 ** Suborder Congroidei Kaup 1856 *** Family † Parachelidae Casier 1967 *** Family Ophichthidae Günther 1870 (snake eels & worm eels) *** Family Derichthyidae Gill 1884 (longneck eels) *** Family Muraenesocidae Kaup 1859 (pike congers) *** Family Nettastomatidae Kaup 1859 (duckbill eels) *** Family Congridae Kaup 1856 (conger eels) ** Suborder Moringuoidei *** Family Moringuidae Gill 1885 ** Suborder Anguilloidei Regan 1909 *** Family † Anguilloididae Blot 1978 *** Family † Milananguillidae Blot 1978 *** Family † Mylomyridae Berg 1940 *** Family † Nardoechelyidae Taverne & Capasso 2014 *** Family † Paranguillidae Blot 1980 *** Family † Patavichthyidae Blot 1981 *** Family † Proteomyridae Blot 1980 *** Family Nemichthyidae Günther 1870 (snipe eels) *** Family Serrivomeridae Roule 1929 (sawtooth eels) *** Family

Anguillidae The Anguillidae are a family of ray-finned fish that contains the freshwater eels. Eighteen of the 19 extant species and six subspecies in this family are in the genus ''Anguilla''. They are elongated fish with snake-like bodies, their long dor ...

Rafinesque 1810 (freshwater eels) ** Suborder Saccopharyngoidei Robins 1989 *** Family

Cyematidae The bobtail snipe eels are two species of deep-sea eels in the family Cyematidae, one only in each of two genera. They are small elongate fishes, growing up to 16cm (6 in) in length. The family Cyematidae is characterized by thin, short bodies ...

Regan 1912 (bobtail snipe eels) *** Family

Saccopharyngidae ''Saccopharynx'' is a genus of deep-sea eels with large mouths, distensible stomachs and long, scaleless bodies. Commonly, these fish are called gulpers or gulper eels. It is the only genus in the family Saccopharyngidae, and is part of the der ...

Bleeker 1859 *** Family

Eurypharyngidae The pelican eel (''Eurypharynx pelecanoides'') is a deep-sea eel. It is the only known member of the genus ''Eurypharynx'' and the family Eurypharyngidae. It belongs to the " saccopharyngiforms", members of which were historically placed in th ...

Gill 1883 (pelican eels, umbrellamouth gulpers) *** Family

Monognathidae ''Monognathus'', or onejaw, is the only genus of the family Monognathidae of deep-sea eels. The name comes from the Greek ''monos'' meaning “one” and ''gnathos'' meaning “jaw”, a reference to the large mouth in comparison with the rest ...

Bertin 1936 (onejaw gulpers)

References

External links

* Fish superorders {{Rayfinned-fish-stub