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 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 (biology), order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 Family (biology), families, 164 genus, genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the earl ...

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

leptocephalus A leptocephalus (meaning "slim head") is the flat and Transparency (optics), transparent larva of 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 f ...

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

Taxonomy

The Elopomorpha are a group of

teleost Teleostei (; Ancient Greek, Greek ''teleios'' "complete" + ''osteon'' "bone"), members of which are known as teleosts (), is, by far, the largest group of ray-finned fishes (class Actinopterygii), with 96% of all neontology, extant species of f ...

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 Elopiformes Gosline 1960 ** Family † Anaethaliidae Gaudant 1968 ** Suborder Elopoidei *** Family Protelopidae de Saint Seine 1949 *** Family

Elopidae The Elopidae are a family (biology), family of ray-finned fish containing a single living genus ''Elops''. They are commonly known as ladyfish, skipjacks, jack-rashes, or tenpounders. The ladyfish are a coastal-dwelling fish found throughout t ...

Bonaparte 1832/Valenciennes 1847 ( tenpounders, ladyfishes) *** Family

Megalopidae Tarpon are fish of the genus ''Megalops''. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae. Of the two species, one (''M. atlanticus'') is native to the Atlantic, and the other (''M. cyprinoides'') to the Indo-Pacific Oceans. Species and ...

Jordan 1882 (

Tarpon Tarpon are fish of the genus ''Megalops''. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae. Of the two species, one (''M. atlanticus'') is native to the Atlantic, and the other (''M. cyprinoides'') to the Indo-Pacific Oceans. Species and ...

s) * 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 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 Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, ...

Rafinesque 1815 (moray eels) ** Suborder Chlopsoidei *** Family

Chlopsidae The Chlopsidae, or false morays, are a family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Anguilliformes, the eels. The eels in this family arefound in coral reefs worldwide. As their name suggests, they somewhat resemble moray eels in ...

Rafinesque 1815 ** Suborder

Congroidei Congroidei is a suborder of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Anguilliformes, the eels. These eels are mostly marine, although a few species of snake eel will enter freshwater, and they are found in tropical and temperate waters through ...

Kaup 1856 *** Family † Parachelidae Casier 1967 *** Family

Ophichthidae Ophichthidae is a family (biology), family of fish in the order (biology), order Anguilliformes, commonly known as the snake eels. The term "Ophichthidae" comes from Greek language, Greek ''ophis'' ("serpent") and ''ichthys'' ("fish"). Snake eels ...

Günther 1870 (snake eels & worm eels) *** Family Derichthyidae Gill 1884 (longneck eels) *** Family

Muraenesocidae The Muraenesocidae, or pike congers, are a small family of marine eels found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. Some species are known to enter brackish water. Pike congers have cylindrical bodies, scaleless skin, narrow heads with larg ...

Kaup 1859 (pike congers) *** Family Nettastomatidae Kaup 1859 (duckbill eels) *** Family

Congridae The Congridae are the family of conger and garden eels. Congers are valuable and often large food fishes, while garden eels live in colonies, all protruding from the sea floor after the manner of plants in a garden (thus the name). The family in ...

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 Sawtooth eels are a family, Serrivomeridae, of eels found in temperate and tropical seas worldwide. Sawtooth eels get their name from the human-like arrangement of inward-slanting teeth attached to the vomer bone in the roof of the mouth. They ...

Roule 1929 (sawtooth eels) *** Family

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

Rafinesque 1810 (freshwater eels) ** Suborder Saccopharyngoidei Robins 1989 *** Family Cyematidae Regan 1912 (bobtail snipe eels) *** Family Saccopharyngidae Bleeker 1859 *** Family Eurypharyngidae Gill 1883 (pelican eels, umbrellamouth gulpers) *** Family Monognathidae Bertin 1936 (onejaw gulpers)

References

External links

* Fish superorders {{Rayfinned-fish-stub