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Lepisosteidae
Gars are members of the family Lepisosteidae, which are the only surviving members of the Ginglymodi, an ancient holosteian group of ray-finned fish, which first appeared during the Triassic, over 240 million years ago. Gars comprise seven living species of fish in two genera that inhabit fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine waters of eastern North America, Central America and Cuba in the Caribbean, though extinct members of the family were more widespread. Gars have elongated bodies that are heavily armored with ganoid scales, and fronted by similarly elongated jaws filled with long, sharp teeth. Gars are sometimes referred to as "garpike", but are not closely related to pike, which are in the fish family Esocidae. All of the gars are relatively large fish, but the alligator gar (''Atractosteus spatula'') is the largest; the alligator gar often grows to a length over and a weight over , and specimens of up to in length have been reported. Unusually, their vascularised sw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lepisosteus
''Lepisosteus'' is a genus of gars in the family Lepisosteidae. Distribution While in the present day, ''Lepisosteus'' is only known across North America, fossil remains show it was much more widespread in the past, with specimens known from the Cretaceous of India and Brazil. Systematics Species The currently recognized species are: Extant species Fossil species * †''Lepisosteus aganus'' (Cope, 1877) * †''Lepisosteus bemisi'' Grande, 2010 * †''Lepisosteus bohemicus'' (Laube, 1901) * †''Lepisosteus cominatoi'' Santos, 1984 * †''Lepisosteus cycliferus'' (Cope, 1873) * †''Lepisosteus glaber'' Marsh, 1871 * †'' Lepisosteus indicus'' Woodward, 1908 * †'' Lepisosteus integer'' (Cope, 1877) * †'' Lepisosteus fimbriatus'' Wood, 1846 * †'' Lepisosteus knieskerni'' Fowler, 1911 * †'' Lepisosteus longus'' Lambe, 1908 * †'' Lepisosteus nahunticus'' (Cope, 1869) * †'' Lepisosteus notabilis'' Leidy, 1873 * †'' Lepisosteus occidentalis''Pearson ''et al.'', 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atractosteus
''Atractosteus'' is a genus of gars in the family Lepisosteidae, with three species. The genus first appeared in the Campanian in the Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the .... Systematics Species Extant species Fossils * †'' Atractosteus africanus'' (Arambourg & Joleaud, 1943) * †'' Atractosteus grandei'' (Brownstein & Lyson, 2022) * †'' Atractosteus cuneatus'' (Cope 1884) non (Cope 1878) * †'' Atractosteus emmonsi'' Hay 1929 * †'' Atractosteus falipoui'' (Cavin & Brito 2001) * †'' Atractosteus lapidosus'' Hay 1919 * †'' Atractosteus messelensis'' Grande 2010 * †'' Atractosteus occidentalis'' (Leidy 1856) non Wiley 1976 * †'' Atractosteus simplex'' (Leidy 1873) References * Lepisosteidae Taxa named by Constantine Samuel R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alligator Gar
The alligator gar (''Atractosteus spatula'') is a ray-finned euryhaline fish related to the bowfin in the infraclass Holostei . It is the largest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fish in North America. The fossil record traces its group's existence back to the Early Cretaceous over 100 million years ago. Gars are often referred to as " primitive fishes", or "living fossils" because they have retained some morphological characteristics of their early ancestors, such as a spiral valve intestine, which is also common to the digestive system of sharks, and the ability to breathe both air and water. Their common name was derived from their resemblance to the American alligator, particularly their broad snouts and long, sharp teeth. Anecdotal evidence suggests that an alligator gar can grow up to in length. The body of an alligator gar is torpedo-shaped, usually brown or olive, fading to a lighter gray or yellow ventral surface. In very rare occurrence ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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. Ginglymodi is one of the two major subgroups of the infraclass Holostei, the other one being Halecomorphi, which contains the bowfin and its fossil relatives. Fossil record The fossil record of ginglymodians goes back at least to the Anisian stage of the Triassic period, over 240 million years ago. '' Eosemionotus'' is one of the earliest ginglymodians. '' Acentrophorus'', another taxon from the Wuchiapingian stage of the late Permian, and '' Paracentrophorus'' from the Early Triassic epoch, could be even earlier members of the group. Ginglymodi was diverse and widespread during the Mesozoic era, but they represent a depauperate lineage today. The group first evolved in marine environments, but several lineages made separate transitions into fre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 (Lepisosteidae), represented by seven living species in two genera (''Atractosteus'', ''Lepisosteus''). The earliest members of the clade appeared during the Early Triassic, over 250 million years ago. Holostei was thought to be regarded as paraphyletic. However, a recent study provided evidence that the Holostei are the closest living relates of the Teleostei, both within the Neopterygii. This was found from the morphology of the Holostei, for example presence of a paired vomer. Holosteans are closer to teleosts than are the chondrosteans, the other group intermediate between teleosts and cartilaginous fish, which are regarded as (at the nearest) a sister group to the Neopterigii. The spiracles of holosteans are reduced to vestigial remnan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Needlefish
Needlefish (family Belonidae) or long toms are piscivorous fishes primarily associated with very shallow marine habitats or the surface of the open sea. Some genera include species found in marine, brackish, and freshwater environments (e.g., ''Strongylura''), while a few genera are confined to freshwater rivers and streams, including '' Belonion'', '' Potamorrhaphis'', and ''Xenentodon''. Needlefish closely resemble North American freshwater gars (family Lepisosteidae) in being elongated and having long, narrow jaws filled with sharp teeth, and some species of needlefishes are referred to as gars or garfish despite being only distantly related to the true gars. In fact, the name "garfish" was originally used for the needlefish ''Belone belone'' in Europe and only later applied to the North American fishes by European settlers during the 18th century. Description Needlefish are slender, ranging from in length. They have a single dorsal fin, placed far back on the body, almost o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belonidae
Needlefish (family Belonidae) or long toms are piscivorous fishes primarily associated with very shallow marine habitats or the surface of the open sea. Some genera include species found in marine, brackish, and freshwater environments (e.g., ''Strongylura''), while a few genera are confined to freshwater rivers and streams, including '' Belonion'', ''Potamorrhaphis'', and ''Xenentodon''. Needlefish closely resemble North American freshwater gars (family Lepisosteidae) in being elongated and having long, narrow jaws filled with sharp teeth, and some species of needlefishes are referred to as gars or garfish despite being only distantly related to the true gars. In fact, the name "garfish" was originally used for the needlefish ''Belone belone'' in Europe and only later applied to the North American fishes by European settlers during the 18th century. Description Needlefish are slender, ranging from in length. They have a single dorsal fin, placed far back on the body, almost op ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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