Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of

bony fish Osteichthyes (), popularly referred to as the bony fish, is a diverse superclass of fish that have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. They can be contrasted with the Chondrichthyes, which have skeletons primarily composed of cartila ...

. They comprise over 50% of living

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxon, taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with vertebral column, backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

. The ray-finned

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...

es are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines (rays), as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize the class Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish). These actinopterygian fin rays attach directly to the proximal or basal skeletal elements, the radials, which represent the link or connection between these fins and the internal skeleton (e.g., pelvic and pectoral girdles). By species count, actinopterygians dominate the

s, and they constitute nearly 99% of the over 30,000 species of fish. They are ubiquitous throughout

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does in ...

and marine environments from the deep sea to the highest mountain streams. Extant species can range in size from '' Paedocypris'', at , to the massive

ocean sunfish The ocean sunfish or common mola (''Mola mola'') is one of the largest bony fish in the world. It was misidentified as the heaviest bony fish, which was actually a different species, '' Mola alexandrini''. Adults typically weigh between . The sp ...

, at , and the long-bodied

oarfish Oarfish are huge, greatly elongated, pelagic lampriform fish belonging to the small family Regalecidae. Found in areas spanning from temperate ocean zones to tropical ones, yet rarely seen, the oarfish family contains three species in two gener ...

, at . The vast majority of Actinopterygii (~99%) are

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 ...

Characteristics

Ray-finned fishes occur in many variant forms. The main features of typical ray-finned fish are shown in the adjacent diagram. The swim bladder is the more derived structure. Ray-finned fishes have many different types of scales; but all

s have leptoid scales. The outer part of these scales fan out with bony ridges, while the inner part is crossed with fibrous connective tissue. Leptoid scales are thinner and more transparent than other types of scales, and lack the hardened enamel or dentine-like layers found in the scales of many other fish. Unlike ganoid scales, which are found in non-teleost actinopterygians, new scales are added in concentric layers as the fish grows. Ray-finned and lobe-finned fishes sometimes possesses lungs used for aerial respiration. Only bichirs retain ventrally budding lungs.

Body shapes and fin arrangements

Ray-finned fish vary in size and shape, in their feeding specializations, and in the number and arrangement of their ray-fins.

Reproduction

In nearly all ray-finned fish, the sexes are separate, and in most species the females spawn eggs that are fertilized externally, typically with the male inseminating the eggs after they are laid. Development then proceeds with a free-swimming larval stage. However other patterns of

ontogeny Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the stu ...

exist, with one of the commonest being

sequential hermaphroditism Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropods, and plants. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes its sex at some point in its life. In particular ...

. In most cases this involves protogyny, fish starting life as females and converting to males at some stage, triggered by some internal or external factor.

Protandry Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropods, and plants. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes its sex at some point in its life. In particular, ...

, where a fish converts from male to female, is much less common than protogyny. Most families use external rather than

internal fertilization Internal fertilization is the union of an egg and sperm cell during sexual reproduction inside the female body. Internal fertilization, unlike its counterpart, external fertilization, brings more control to the female with reproduction. For intern ...

. Of the

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...

teleosts, most (79%) do not provide parental care.

Viviparity Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the m ...

ovoviviparity Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

, or some form of parental care for eggs, whether by the male, the female, or both parents is seen in a significant fraction (21%) of the 422 teleost families; no care is likely the ancestral condition. The oldest case of viviparity in ray-finned fish is found in

Middle Triassic In the geologic timescale, the Middle Triassic is the second of three epochs of the Triassic period or the middle of three series in which the Triassic system is divided in chronostratigraphy. The Middle Triassic spans the time between Ma ...

species of '' Saurichthys''. Viviparity is relatively rare and is found in about 6% of living teleost species; male care is far more common than female care. Male territoriality "preadapts" a species for evolving male parental care. There are a few examples of fish that self-fertilise. The mangrove rivulus is an amphibious, simultaneous hermaphrodite, producing both eggs and spawn and having internal fertilisation. This mode of reproduction may be related to the fish's habit of spending long periods out of water in the mangrove forests it inhabits. Males are occasionally produced at temperatures below and can fertilise eggs that are then spawned by the female. This maintains genetic variability in a species that is otherwise highly inbred.

Classification and fossil record

Actinopterygii is divided into the classes Cladistia and Actinopteri. The latter comprises the subclasses

Chondrostei Chondrostei is a group of non-neopterygian ray-finned fish, while the term originally referred to a paraphyletic group of all non-neopterygian ray-finned fish, it was redefined by Patterson in 1982 to be a clade comprising the Acipenseriformes (w ...

and

Neopterygii Neopterygii (from Greek νέος ''neos'' 'new' and πτέρυξ ''pteryx'' 'fin') is a subclass of ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii). Neopterygii includes the Holostei and the Teleostei, of which the latter comprise the vast majority of extant ...

. The

, in turn, is divided into the infraclasses

Holostei Holostei is a group of ray-finned bony fish. It is divided into two major clades, the Halecomorphi, represented by a single living species, the bowfin ('' Amia calva''), as well as the Ginglymodi, the sole living representatives being the gars ...

and

Teleostei 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. Tele ...

. During the

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Creta ...

(

Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

) and

Cenozoic The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configu ...

the teleosts in particular

diversified Diversification may refer to: Biology and agriculture * Genetic divergence, emergence of subpopulations that have accumulated independent genetic changes * Agricultural diversification involves the re-allocation of some of a farm's resources to ...

widely. As a result, 96% of living fish species are teleosts (40% of all fish species belong to the teleost subgroup Acanthomorpha), while all other groups of actinopterygians represent depauperate lineages. The classification of ray-finned fishes can be summarized as follows: * Cladistia, which include bichirs and reedfish * Actinopteri, which include: ** Chondrostei, which include Acipenseriformes (paddlefishes and sturgeons) ** Neopterygii, which include: ***Teleostei (most living fishes) ***Holostei, which include: ****Lepisosteiformes (gars) ****Amiiformes (bowfin) The

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to ...

below shows the main clades of living actinopterygians and their evolutionary relationships to other extant groups of fishes and the four-limbed vertebrates (

tetrapods Tetrapods (; ) are four-limb (anatomy), limbed vertebrate animals constituting the superclass Tetrapoda (). It includes extant taxon, extant and extinct amphibians, sauropsids (reptiles, including dinosaurs and therefore birds) and synapsids (p ...

). The latter include mostly terrestrial

but also groups that became secondarily aquatic (e.g. Whales and Dolphins). Tetrapods evolved from a group of

during the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, w ...

period. Approximate

divergence In vector calculus, divergence is a vector operator that operates on a vector field, producing a scalar field giving the quantity of the vector field's source at each point. More technically, the divergence represents the volume density of t ...

dates for the different actinopterygian clades (in millions of years, mya) are from Near et al., 2012. The polypterids (bichirs and reedfish) are the

sister lineage In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A a ...

of all other actinopterygians, the Acipenseriformes (sturgeons and paddlefishes) are the sister lineage of Neopterygii, and Holostei (bowfin and gars) are the sister lineage of teleosts. The Elopomorpha ( eels and tarpons) appear to be the most

basal Basal or basilar is a term meaning ''base'', ''bottom'', or ''minimum''. Science * Basal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features associated with the base of an organism or structure * Basal (medicine), a minimal level that is nec ...

teleosts. The earliest known

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

actinopterygian is '' Andreolepis hedei'', dating back 420 million years (

Late Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozoi ...

), remains of which have been found in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

, Sweden, and

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...

. Crown group actinopterygians most likely originated near the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary. The earliest fossil relatives of modern teleosts are from the

period (''

Prohalecites ''Prohalecites'' is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Ladinian and possibly Carnian (Triassic) of Italy. It is the oldest known teleosteomorph, a group that includes extant teleosts and their close fossil relatives. The type and on ...

'', '' Pholidophorus''), although it is suspected that teleosts originated already during the

Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...

Era.

PalaeoniscusFreieslebenensis-NaturalHistoryMuseum-August23-08

Taxonomy

The listing below is a summary of all extinct (indicated by a

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

, †) and living groups of Actinopterygii with their respective

taxonomic rank In biological classification, taxonomic rank is the relative level of a group of organisms (a taxon) in an ancestral or hereditary hierarchy. A common system consists of species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, kingdom, domain. While ol ...

. The

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

follows Phylogenetic Classification of Bony Fishes with notes when this differs from Nelson,

ITIS The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is an American partnership of federal agencies designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ITIS was originally formed in 1996 as an interagenc ...

and

FishBase FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web.

and extinct groups from Van der Laan 2016 and Xu 2021. * Order †? Asarotiformes Schaeffer 1968 * Order †? Discordichthyiformes Minikh 1998 * Order †? Paphosisciformes Grogan & Lund 2015 * Order †? Scanilepiformes Selezneya 1985 * Order † Cheirolepidiformes Kazantseva-Selezneva 1977 * Order † Paramblypteriformes Heyler 1969 * Order † Rhadinichthyiformes * Order †

Palaeonisciformes The Palaeonisciformes (Palaeoniscida) are an extinct order of early ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii). Palaeonisciformes '' sensu lato'' first appeared in the fossil record in the Late Silurian and last appeared in the Late Cretaceous. The nam ...

Hay 1902 * Order † Tarrasiiformes sensu Lund & Poplin 2002 * Order †

Ptycholepiformes Ptycholepiformes are an extinct order of prehistoric ray-finned fish that existed during the Triassic period and the Early Jurassic epoch. The order includes the genera '' Acrorhabdus'', ''Ardoreosomus'', ''Boreosomus'', '' Chungkingichthys'', ...

Andrews et al. 1967 * Order † Haplolepidiformes Westoll 1944 * Order † Aeduelliformes Heyler 1969 * Order † Platysomiformes Aldinger 1937 * Order † Dorypteriformes Cope 1871 * Order † Eurynotiformes Sallan & Coates 2013 * Class Cladistia Pander 1860 ** Order † Guildayichthyiformes Lund 2000 ** Order Polypteriformes Bleeker 1859 (

bichir Bichirs and the reedfish comprise Polypteridae , a family of archaic ray-finned fishes and the only family in the order Polypteriformes .Helfman GS, Collette BB, Facey DE, Bowen BW. 2009. The Diversity of Fishes. West Sussex, UK: Blackwell Pu ...

s and reedfishes) * Class Actinopteri Cope 1972 s.s. ** Order † Elonichthyiformes Kazantseva-Selezneva 1977 ** Order † Phanerorhynchiformes ** Order †

Bobasatraniiformes Bobasatraniiformes is an extinct Order (biology), order of durophagous ray-finned fish that existed from the Lopingian, late Permian to the Middle Triassic in both marine life, marine and freshwater environments. The order includes two family ...

Berg 1940 ** Order † Saurichthyiformes Aldinger 1937 ** Subclass

Müller, 1844 *** Order † Birgeriiformes Heyler 1969 *** Order † Chondrosteiformes Aldinger, 1937 *** Order

Acipenseriformes Acipenseriformes is an order of basal ray-finned fishes that includes living and fossil sturgeons and paddlefishes (Acipenseroidei), as well as the extinct families Chondrosteidae and Peipiaosteidae. They are the second earliest diver ...

Berg 1940 (includes sturgeons and

paddlefish Paddlefish (family Polyodontidae) are a family of ray-finned fish belonging to order Acipenseriformes, and one of two living groups of the order alongside sturgeons (Acipenseridae). They are distinguished from other fish by their titular elongl ...

es) ** Subclass

Regan 1923 sensu Xu & Wu 2012 *** Order †

Pholidopleuriformes Pholidopleuriformes is an extinct order of ray-finned fish. Classification ** Family †Pholidopleuridae Abel 1919/Wade 1932 *** Genus †'' Gracilignathichthys'' Bürgin 1992 **** †'' Gracilignathichthys microlepis'' Bürgin 1992 *** Genus � ...

Berg 1937 ***Order †

Redfieldiiformes Redfieldiiformes is an extinct order of ray-finned fish (actinopterygians) which lived from the Middle Triassic to Early Jurassic. Redfieldiiforms were fairly typical Triassic fish in overall anatomy. They had a fusiform (streamlined, tuna-like) ...

Berg 1940 ***Order † Platysiagiformes Brough 1939 ***Order † Polzbergiiformes Griffith 1977 ***Order † Perleidiformes Berg 1937 ***Order † Louwoichthyiformes Xu 2021 *** Order † Peltopleuriformes Lehman 1966 *** Order †

Luganoiiformes ''Luganoia'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived during the early Ladinian stage of the Middle Triassic epoch. See also * Prehistoric fish * List of prehistoric bony fish A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lis ...

Lehman 1958 *** Order †

Pycnodontiformes Pycnodontiformes is an extinct order of primarily marine bony fish. The group first appeared during the Late Triassic and disappeared during the Eocene. The group has been found in rock formations in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South Ameri ...

Berg 1937 *** Infraclass

Müller 1844 **** Division Halecomorphi Cope 1872 sensu Grande & Bemis 1998 ***** Order † Parasemionotiformes Lehman 1966 ***** Order † Ionoscopiformes Grande & Bemis 1998 ***** Order Amiiformes Huxley 1861 sensu Grande & Bemis 1998 ( bowfins) **** Division

Ginglymodi Ginglymodi is a clade of ray-finned fish containing modern-day gars (Lepisosteidae) and their extinct relatives, including the family Lepidotidae and the orders Semionotiformes and Kyphosichthyiformes, and various other extinct taxa. Gingly ...

Cope 1871 ***** Order † Dapediiformes Thies & Waschkewitz 2015 ***** Order † Semionotiformes Arambourg & Bertin 1958 ***** Order Lepisosteiformes Hay 1929 ( gars) *** Clade Teleosteomorpha Arratia 2000 sensu Arratia 2013 **** Order † Prohaleciteiformes Arratia 2017 **** Division Aspidorhynchei Nelson, Grand & Wilson 2016 ***** Order † Aspidorhynchiformes Bleeker 1859 ***** Order † Pachycormiformes Berg 1937 **** Infraclass

Müller 1844 sensu Arratia 2013 ***** Order †? Araripichthyiformes ***** Order †? Ligulelliiformes Taverne 2011 ***** Order †?

Tselfatiiformes Tselfatiiformes is an extinct order of bony fishes from the infraclass Teleostei. The order represents the most important radiation of marine teleosts during the Cretaceous period. Fossils of tselfatiiforms are known from Europe, North America, c ...

Nelson 1994 ***** Order † Pholidophoriformes Berg 1940 ***** Order † Dorsetichthyiformes Nelson, Grand & Wilson 2016 ***** Order † Leptolepidiformes ***** Order † Crossognathiformes Taverne 1989 ***** Order † Ichthyodectiformes Bardeck & Sprinkle 1969 ***** Teleocephala de Pinna 1996 s.s. ******Megacohort Elopocephalai Patterson 1977 sensu Arratia 1999 ( Elopomorpha Greenwood et al. 1966) ******* Order Elopiformes Gosline 1960 ( ladyfishes and tarpon) ******* Order Albuliformes Greenwood et al. 1966 sensu Forey et al. 1996 (bonefishes) ******* Order Notacanthiformes Goodrich 1909 (

halosaurs Halosaurs are eel-shaped fishes found only at great ocean depths. As the family Halosauridae, halosaurs are one of two families within the order Notacanthiformes; the other being the deep-sea spiny eels, Notacanthidae. Halosaurs are thought to ha ...

and spiny eels) ******* Order

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 sta ...

Jarocki 1822 sensu Goodrich 1909 (true eels) ****** Megacohort Osteoglossocephalai sensu Arratia 1999 *******Supercohort Osteoglossocephala sensu Arratia 1999 ( Osteoglossomorpha Greenwood et al. 1966) ******** Order † Lycopteriformes Chang & Chou 1977 ******** Order Hiodontiformes McAllister 1968 sensu Taverne 1979 ( mooneye and goldeye) ******** Order Osteoglossiformes Regan 1909 sensu Zhang 2004 (bony-tongued fishes) ******* Supercohort Clupeocephala Patterson & Rosen 1977 sensu Arratia 2010 ********Cohort Otomorpha Wiley & Johnson 2010 (

Otocephala Otocephala is a clade of ray-finned fishes within the infraclass Teleostei that evolved some 230 million years ago. It is named for the presence of a hearing (otophysic) link from the swimbladder to the inner ear. Other names proposed for the gro ...

; Ostarioclupeomorpha) ********* Subcohort Clupei Wiley & Johnson 2010 ( Clupeomorpha Greenwood et al. 1966) ********** Order † Ellimmichthyiformes Grande 1982 ********** Order Clupeiformes Bleeker 1859 (

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocea ...

s and

anchovies An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

) ********* Subcohort Alepocephali ********** Order Alepocephaliformes Marshall 1962 ********* Subcohort Ostariophysi Sagemehl 1885 ********** Section Anotophysa (Rosen & Greenwood 1970) Sagemehl 1885 *********** Order † Sorbininardiformes Taverne 1999 *********** Order Gonorynchiformes Regan 1909 ( milkfishes) ********** Section Otophysa Garstang 1931 *********** Order

Cypriniformes Cypriniformes is an order of ray-finned fish, including the carps, minnows, loaches, and relatives. Cypriniformes is an Order within the Superorder Ostariophysi consisting of "Carp-like" Ostariophysins. This order contains 11-12 familie ...

Bleeker 1859 sensu Goodrich 1909 ( barbs,

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

, danios, goldfishes, loaches,

minnow Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens. Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are ...

rasbora ''Rasbora'' is a genus of fish in the family Cyprinidae. They are native to freshwater habitats in South and specimen that reputedly originated from Africa (Cameroon), but this locality is considered doubtful. They are small, up to long, altho ...

s) *********** Order Characiformes Goodrich 1909 (

characin Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.; Buckup P.A.: "Relationsh ...

pencilfish ''Nannostomus'', (from the Greek: ''nanos'' = small, and the Latin: ''stomus'' = relating to the mouth), is a genus of fish belonging to the characin family Lebiasinidae. All of the species in this genus are known as pencil fish or pencilfish, a ...

es, hatchetfishes,

piranha A piranha or piraña (, , or ; or , ) is one of a number of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae, or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae in order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, ...

tetra Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA; formerly known as Trans-European Trunked Radio), a European standard for a trunked radio system, is a professional mobile radio and two-way transceiver specification. TETRA was specifically designed for use by ...

s, dourado / golden (genus ''Salminus'') and

pacu Pacu () is a common name used to refer to several species of omnivorous South American freshwater serrasalmid fish that are related to the piranha. Pacu and piranha do not have similar teeth, the main difference being jaw alignment; piranha hav ...

) *********** Order

Gymnotiformes The Gymnotiformes are an order of teleost bony fishes commonly known as Neotropical knifefish or South American knifefish. They have long bodies and swim using undulations of their elongated anal fin. Found almost exclusively in fresh water (the ...

Berg 1940 ( electric eels and knifefishes) *********** Order

Siluriformes Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

Cuvier 1817 sensu Hay 1929 (

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

es) ******** Cohort Euteleosteomorpha (Greenwood et al. 1966) ( Euteleostei Greenwood 1967 sensu Johnson & Patterson 1996) *********Subcohort Lepidogalaxii ********** Lepidogalaxiiformes Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 (

salamanderfish ''Lepidogalaxias salamandroides'' is a species of small fish of Western Australia. It is the monotypic, only member of the family Lepidogalaxiidae and genus ''Lepidogalaxias''. Common names for this fish include salamanderfish and Shannon mudminn ...

) ********* Subcohort Protacanthopterygii Greenwood et al. 1966 sensu Johnson & Patterson 1996 ********** Order Argentiniformes ( barreleyes and slickheads) (formerly in Osmeriformes) ********** Order Galaxiiformes ********** Order Salmoniformes Bleeker 1859 sensu Nelson 1994 (

salmon Salmon () is the common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of ...

and

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-sa ...

) ********** Order

Esociformes The Esociformes () are a small order of ray-finned fish, with two families, Umbridae and Esocidae. The pikes of genus ''Esox'' give the order its name. This order is closely related to the Salmoniformes, the two comprising the superorder ...

Bleeker 1859 ( pike) ********* Subcohort Stomiati ********** Order Osmeriformes ( smelts) ********** Order Stomiatiformes Regan 1909 ( bristlemouths and marine hatchetfishes) ********* Subcohort Neoteleostei Nelson 1969 **********Infracohort Ateleopodia *********** Order Ateleopodiformes (

jellynose fish The jellynose fishes or tadpole fishes are the small order Ateleopodiformes. This group of ray-finned fish is monotypic, containing a single family Ateleopodidae. It has about a dozen species in four genera, but these enigmatic fishes are in nee ...

) ********** Infracohort Eurypterygia Rosen 1973 ***********Section Aulopa yclosquamata Rosen 1973************ Order Aulopiformes Rosen 1973 ( Bombay duck and lancetfishes) *********** Section Ctenosquamata Rosen 1973 ************Subsection Myctophata copelomorpha************* Order

Myctophiformes The Myctophiformes are an order of ray-finned fishes consisting of two families of deep-sea marine fish, most notably the highly abundant lanternfishes (Myctophidae). The blackchins (Neoscopelidae) contain six species in three genera, while the ...

Regan 1911 (

lanternfish Lanternfishes (or myctophids, from the Greek μυκτήρ ''myktḗr'', "nose" and ''ophis'', "serpent") are small mesopelagic fish of the large family Myctophidae. One of two families in the order Myctophiformes, the Myctophidae are represented ...

es) ************ Subsection Acanthomorpha Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 *************Division Lampridacea Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 ampridomorpha; Lampripterygii************** Order Lampriformes Regan 1909 (

, opah and ribbonfishes) ************* Division Paracanthomorphacea sensu Grande et al. 2013 ( Paracanthopterygii Greenwood 1937) ************** Order

Percopsiformes The Percopsiformes are a small order of ray-finned fishes, comprising the trout-perch and its allies. It contains just ten extant species, grouped into seven genera and three families. Five of these genera are monotypic They are generally sm ...

Berg 1937 ( cavefishes and

trout-perch ''Percopsis omiscomaycus'', also known as the trout-perch, the grounder or the sand minnow, is one of two species in the family Percopsidae. Its name comes from the Greek root words ''perc'', meaning perch and ''opsi'' meaning appearance. The sp ...

es) ************** Order † Sphenocephaliformes Rosen & Patterson 1969 ************** Order Zeiformes Regan 1909 ( dories) ************** Order Stylephoriformes Miya et al. 2007 ************** Order Gadiformes Goodrich 1909 ( cods) ************* Division Polymixiacea Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 (Polymyxiomorpha; Polymixiipterygii) ************** Order † Pattersonichthyiformes Gaudant 1976 ************** Order † Ctenothrissiformes Berg 1937 ************** Order Polymixiiformes Lowe 1838 (

beardfish The beardfishes consist of a single extant genus, '' Polymixia'', of deep-sea marine ray-finned fish named for their pair of long hyoid barbels. They are classified in their own order Polymixiiformes . But as Nelson says, "few groups have been s ...

es) ************* Division Euacanthomorphacea Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 (Euacanthomorpha sensu Johnson & Patterson 1993; Acanthopterygii Gouan 1770 sensu]) **************Subdivision Berycimorphaceae Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 *************** Order Beryciformes ( fangtooths and pineconefishes) (incl. Stephanoberyciformes; Cetomimiformes) ************** Subdivision Holocentrimorphaceae Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 *************** Order Holocentriformes ( Soldierfishes) ************** Subdivision Percomorphaceae Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 ( Percomorpha sensu Miya et al. 2003;

Acanthopteri Perciformes (), also called the Percomorpha or Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish. If considered a single order, they are the most numerous order of vertebrates, containing about 41% of all bony fish. Perciformes means ...

) ***************Series Ophidiimopharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 **************** Order

Ophidiiformes Ophidiiformes is an order of ray-finned fish that includes the cusk-eels (family Ophidiidae), pearlfishes (family Carapidae), viviparous brotulas (family Bythitidae), and others. Members of this order have small heads and long slender bodies. ...

( pearlfishes) *************** Series Batrachoidimopharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 **************** Order

Batrachoidiformes Batrachoididae is the only family in the ray-finned fish order Batrachoidiformes . Members of this family are usually called toadfish, or "frogfish": both the English common name and scientific name refer to their toad-like appearance (''batrakh ...

( toadfishes) *************** Series Gobiomopharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 **************** Order Kurtiformes( Nurseryfishes and cardinalfishes) **************** Order

Gobiiformes The Gobiiformes are an order of fish that includes the gobies and their relatives. The order, which was previously considered a suborder of Perciformes, is made up of about 2,211 species that are divided between seven families. Phylogenetic re ...

(Sleepers and

gobies Gobiidae or gobies is a family of bony fish in the order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typically less than in length, and th ...

) *************** Series Scombrimopharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 **************** Order Syngnathiformes (

seahorses A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" o ...

, pipefishes, sea moths, cornetfishes and

flying gurnard The flying gurnard (''Dactylopterus volitans''), also known as the helmet gurnard, is a bottom-dwelling fish of tropical to warm temperate waters on both sides of the Atlantic. On the American side, it is found as far north as Massachusetts (ex ...

sIn Nelson and ITIS, Syngnathiformes is placed as the suborder Syngnathoidei of the order Gasterosteiformes.) **************** Order Scombriformes (

Tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max le ...

s and (

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

s) *************** Series Carangimopharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 **************** Subseries Anabantaria Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2014 ***************** Order

Synbranchiformes Synbranchiformes, often called swamp eels, is an order of ray-finned fishes that are eel-like but have spiny rays, indicating that they belong to the superorder Acanthopterygii. Taxonomy No synbrachiform fossil is known. The Mastacembeloidei were ...

( swamp eels) ***************** Order Anabantiformes (Labyrinthici) ( gouramies, snakeheads, ) **************** Subseries Carangaria Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2014 ***************** Carangaria incertae sedis ***************** Order Istiophoriformes Betancur-Rodriguez 2013 (

Marlin Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes about 10 species. A marlin has an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long, rigid dorsal fin which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to der ...

swordfishes Swordfish (''Xiphias gladius''), also known as broadbills in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordfis ...

billfish The term billfish refers to a group of saltwater predatory fish characterised by prominent pointed bills (rostra), and by their large size; some are longer than . Extant billfish include sailfish and marlin, which make up the family Istio ...

es) ***************** Order Carangiformes (

Jack mackerel Jack mackerels or saurels are marine fish in the genus ''Trachurus'' of the family Carangidae. The name of the genus derives from the Greek words ''trachys'' ("rough") and ''oura'' ("tail"). Some species, such as ''T. murphyi'', are harvested in ...

s, pompanos) ***************** Order Pleuronectiformes Bleeker 1859 ( flatfishes) **************** Subseries Ovalentaria Smith & Near 2012 ( Stiassnyiformes sensu Li et al. 2009) ***************** Ovalentaria incertae sedis ***************** Order Cichliformes Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 (

Cichlid Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted th ...

Convict blenny ''Pholidichthys leucotaenia'', commonly known as the convict blenny/goby or the engineer blenny/goby, is a marine fish from the west-central Pacific Ocean. Despite its common names, it is neither a blenny nor a goby, but is in fact one of two spe ...

, leaf fishes) ***************** Order Atheriniformes Rosen 1964 ( silversides and rainbowfishes) ***************** Order

Cyprinodontiformes Cyprinodontiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising mostly small, freshwater fish. Many popular aquarium fish, such as killifish and live-bearers, are included. They are closely related to the Atheriniformes and are occasionally in ...

Berg 1940 ( livebearers,

killifish A killifish is any of various oviparous (egg-laying) cyprinodontiform fish (including families Aplocheilidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Profundulidae and Valenciidae). All together, there are 1,270 species of killifish, the biggest famil ...

es) ***************** Order Beloniformes Berg 1940 ( flyingfishes and

ricefish The ricefishes are a family (Adrianichthyidae) of small ray-finned fish that are found in fresh and brackish waters from India to Japan and out into the Malay Archipelago, most notably Sulawesi (where the Lake Poso and Lore Lindu species are kn ...

es) ***************** Order Mugiliformes Berg 1940 ( mullets) ***************** Order Blenniiformes Springer 1993 ( Blennies) ***************** Order

Gobiesociformes Clingfishes are fishes of the family Gobiesocidae, the only family in the order Gobiesociformes. These fairly small to very small fishes are widespread in tropical and temperate regions, mostly near the coast, but a few species in deeper seas or ...

Gill 1872 (

Clingfish Clingfishes are fishes of the family Gobiesocidae, the only family in the order Gobiesociformes. These fairly small to very small fishes are widespread in tropical and temperate regions, mostly near the coast, but a few species in deeper seas or ...

es) *************** Series Eupercaria Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2014 (Percomorpharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013) **************** Eupercaria incertae sedis **************** Order

Gerreiformes The mojarras are a family, Gerreidae, of fish in the order Perciformes. The family includes about 53 species found worldwide in tropical and warm temperate regions. They mostly inhabit coastal salt and brackish waters, although some occur in fre ...

( Mojarras) **************** Order Labriformes (

Wrasse The wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species in 81 genera, which are divided into 9 subgroups or tribes. They are typically small, most of them ...

s and

Parrotfish Parrotfishes are a group of about 90 fish species regarded as a family (Scaridae), or a subfamily (Scarinae) of the wrasses. With about 95 species, this group's largest species richness is in the Indo-Pacific. They are found in coral reefs, ...

es) **************** Order

Caproiformes Caproidae, or boarfishes, are a small family of marine fishes comprising two genera and 12 species. They were formerly placed in the order Zeiformes with the dories, but are now placed with the Perciformes since they have many perciform charact ...

( Boarfishes) **************** Order Lophiiformes Garman 1899 (

Anglerfish The anglerfish are fish of the teleost order Lophiiformes (). They are bony fish named for their characteristic mode of predation, in which a modified luminescent fin ray (the esca or illicium) acts as a lure for other fish. The luminescence ...

es) **************** Order Tetraodontiformes Regan 1929 (

Filefish The filefish (Monacanthidae) are a diverse family of tropical to subtropical tetraodontiform marine fish, which are also known as foolfish, leatherjackets or shingles. They live in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Filefish are closely ...

es and pufferfish) **************** Order

Centrarchiformes Centrarchiformes is an obsolete order of ray-finned fish, now included amongst the perciformes, with 17 previously included families. This order first appeared about 55.8 million years ago in the Eocene Era, and is composed primarily of omnivore ...

Bleeker 1859 ( Sunfishes and mandarin fishes) ****************Order Gasterosteiformes (

Stickleback The sticklebacks are a family of ray-finned fishes, the Gasterosteidae which have a Holarctic distribution in fresh, brackish and marine waters. They were thought to be related to the pipefish and seahorses but are now thought to be more clos ...

s and relatives) ****************Order Scorpaeniformes (

Lionfishes ''Pterois'' is a genus of venomous marine fish, commonly known as lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific. Also called firefish, turkeyfish, tastyfish, or butterfly-cod, it is characterized by conspicuous warning coloration with red, white, crea ...

and relatives) **************** Order Perciformes Bleeker 1859

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Ray-finned fishes Fish classes Silurian bony fish Extant Silurian first appearances