Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
of
bony fish
Osteichthyes ( ; ), also known as osteichthyans or commonly referred to as the bony fish, is a Biodiversity, diverse clade of vertebrate animals that have endoskeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. They can be contrasted with the Chondricht ...
that comprise over 50% of living
vertebrate
Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain.
The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...
species.
They are so called because of their lightly built
fins made of webbings of
skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...
supported by radially extended thin bony
spines called ''
lepidotrichia'', as opposed to the bulkier, fleshy lobed fins of the
sister
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...
clade
In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...
Sarcopterygii
Sarcopterygii (; )—sometimes considered synonymous with Crossopterygii ()—is a clade (traditionally a class (biology), class or subclass) of vertebrate animals which includes a group of bony fish commonly referred to as lobe-finned fish. The ...
(lobe-finned fish). Resembling
folding fans, the actinopterygian fins can easily change shape and
wetted area, providing superior
thrust-to-weight ratios per movement compared to sarcopterygian and
chondrichthyian fins. The fin rays attach directly to the proximal or basal skeletal elements, the radials, which represent the
articulation between these fins and the internal skeleton (e.g., pelvic and pectoral girdles).
The vast majority of actinopterygians are
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 ...
s. By
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
count, they dominate the
subphylum Vertebrata, and constitute nearly 99% of the over 30,000
extant
Extant or Least-concern species, least concern is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to:
* Extant hereditary titles
* Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English
* Exta ...
species of
fish
A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
. They are the most abundant
nektonic aquatic animal
An aquatic animal is any animal, whether vertebrate or invertebrate, that lives in a body of water for all or most of its lifetime. Aquatic animals generally conduct gas exchange in water by extracting dissolved oxygen via specialised respirato ...
s and 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. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...
and
marine environments from the
deep sea to
subterranean waters to the highest
mountain streams. Extant species can range in size from ''
Paedocypris'', at ; to the massive
ocean sunfish, at ; and to the giant
oarfish, at . The largest ever known ray-finned fish, the extinct ''
Leedsichthys'' from the
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 143.1 Mya. ...
, has been estimated to have grown to .
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 a more derived structure and used for
buoyancy
Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is the force exerted by a fluid opposing the weight of a partially or fully immersed object (which may be also be a parcel of fluid). In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of t ...
.
Except from the
bichirs, which just like the
lung
The lungs are the primary Organ (biology), organs of the respiratory system in many animals, including humans. In mammals and most other tetrapods, two lungs are located near the Vertebral column, backbone on either side of the heart. Their ...
s of
lobe-finned fish have retained the ancestral condition of ventral budding from the
foregut, the swim bladder in ray-finned fishes derives from a dorsal bud above the foregut.
In early forms the swim bladder could still be used for breathing, a trait still present in
Holostei (
bowfins and
gars). In some fish like the
arapaima
The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is any large species of bonytongue in the genus ''Arapaima'' native to the Amazon Basin, Amazon and Essequibo River, Essequibo basins of South America. ''Arapaima'' is the type genus of the subfamily Arapaiminae ...
, the swim bladder has been modified for breathing air again, and in other lineages it has been completely lost.
The teleosts have urinary and reproductive tracts that are fully separated, while the Chondrostei have common urogenital ducts, and partially connected ducts are found in Cladistia and Holostei.
Ray-finned fishes have many different types of
scales; but all
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 ...
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.
Teleosts and chondrosteans (sturgeons and paddlefish) also differ from the bichirs and holosteans (bowfin and gars) in having gone through a whole-genome duplication (
paleopolyploidy). The WGD is estimated to have happened about 320 million years ago in the teleosts, which on average has retained about 17% of the gene duplicates, and around 180 (124–225) million years ago in the chondrosteans. It has since happened again in some teleost lineages, like Salmonidae (80–100 million years ago) and several times independently within the
Cyprinidae (in goldfish and common carp as recently as 14 million years ago).
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 exist, with one of the commonest being
sequential hermaphroditism. 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, where a fish converts from male to female, is much less common than protogyny.
Most families use
external rather than
internal fertilization.
Of the
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
teleosts, most (79%) do not provide parental care.
Viviparity
In animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, with the maternal circulation providing for the metabolic needs of the embryo's development, until the mother gives birth to a fully or partially developed juv ...
,
ovoviviparity
Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop inside eggs that r ...
, 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 species of ''
Saurichthys
''Saurichthys'' (from , 'lizard' and 'fish') is an extinct genus of predatory Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish from the Triassic period (geology), Period. It is the type genus of the family (taxonomy), family Saurichthyidae (Changhsingian-Ju ...
''. 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 subclasses
Cladistia,
Chondrostei and
Neopterygii. The
Neopterygii, in turn, is divided into the infraclasses
Holostei and
Teleostei. During the
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...
(
Triassic
The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...
,
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 143.1 Mya. ...
,
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
) and
Cenozoic the teleosts in particular
diversified 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 language, Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree because it does not s ...
below shows the main clades of living actinopterygians and their evolutionary relationships to other
extant
Extant or Least-concern species, least concern is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to:
* Extant hereditary titles
* Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English
* Exta ...
groups of
fishes
A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fins and a hard skull, but lacking limbs with digits. Fish can be grouped into the more basal jawless fish and the more common jawed ...
and the four-limbed vertebrates (
tetrapods
A tetrapod (; from Ancient Greek τετρα- ''(tetra-)'' 'four' and πούς ''(poús)'' 'foot') is any four- limbed vertebrate animal of the clade Tetrapoda (). Tetrapods include all extant and extinct amphibians and amniotes, with the lat ...
).
The latter include mostly terrestrial
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
but also groups that became
secondarily aquatic (e.g.
whales and dolphins). Tetrapods
evolved from a group of
bony fish
Osteichthyes ( ; ), also known as osteichthyans or commonly referred to as the bony fish, is a Biodiversity, diverse clade of vertebrate animals that have endoskeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. They can be contrasted with the Chondricht ...
during the
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...
period.
Approximate
divergence
In vector calculus, divergence is a vector operator that operates on a vector field, producing a scalar field giving the rate that the vector field alters the volume in an infinitesimal neighborhood of each point. (In 2D this "volume" refers to ...
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 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 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 preserve ...
actinopterygian is ''
Andreolepis hedei'', dating back 420 million years (
Late Silurian), remains of which have been found in
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, and
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
. Crown group actinopterygians most likely originated near the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary.
The earliest fossil relatives of modern teleosts are from the
Triassic
The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...
period (''
Prohalecites'', ''
Pholidophorus''),
although it is suspected that teleosts originated already during the
Paleozoic Era.
Taxonomy
The listing below is a summary of all
extinct
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
(indicated by a
dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually one or two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a cutting or stabbing, thrusting weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or ...
, †) and living groups of Actinopterygii with their respective
taxonomic rank
In biology, taxonomic rank (which some authors prefer to call nomenclatural rank because ranking is part of nomenclature rather than taxonomy proper, according to some definitions of these terms) is the relative or absolute level of a group of or ...
. The
taxonomy
image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy
Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...
follows ''
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes'' and Phylogenetic Classification of Bony Fishes
with notes when this differs from Nelson,
ITIS and
FishBase 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 Hay 1902
* Order †
Tarrasiiformes sensu Lund & Poplin 2002
* Order †
Ptycholepiformes 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
* Subclass
Cladistia Pander 1860
** Order †
Guildayichthyiformes Lund 2000
** Order
Polypteriformes Bleeker 1859 (
bichirs and
reedfishes)
** Subclass
Actinopteri Cope 1972 s.s.
*** Order †
Elonichthyiformes Kazantseva-Selezneva 1977
*** Order †
Phanerorhynchiformes
*** Order †
Bobasatraniiformes Berg 1940
*** Order †
Saurichthyiformes
Saurichthyiformes is an extinct order (biology), order of Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish which existed in Asia, Africa, Australia (continent), Australia, Europe and North America, during the late Permian to early Middle Jurassic. Saurichthy ...
Aldinger 1937
** Subclass
Chondrostei Müller, 1844
*** Order †
Birgeriiformes Heyler 1969
*** Order †
Chondrosteiformes Aldinger, 1937
*** Order
Acipenseriformes Berg 1940 (includes
sturgeons and
paddlefishes)
** Subclass
Neopterygii Regan 1923 sensu Xu & Wu 2012
*** Order †
Pholidopleuriformes Berg 1937
*** Order †
Redfieldiiformes Berg 1940
*** Order †
Platysiagiformes Brough 1939
*** Order †
Polzbergiiformes Griffith 1977
*** Order †
Perleidiformes Berg 1937
*** Order †
Louwoichthyiformes Xu 2021
*** Order †
Peltopleuriformes Lehman 1966
*** Order †
Luganoiiformes 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 America. ...
Berg 1937
*** Infraclass
Holostei Müller 1844
**** Division
Halecomorphi Cope 1872 sensu Grande & Bemis 1998
***** Order †
Parasemionotiformes Lehman 1966
***** Order †
Ionoscopiformes Grande & Bemis 1998
***** Order
Amiiformes
The Amiiformes order (biology), order of fish has only two extant taxa, extant species, the bowfins: ''Amia calva'' and ''Amia ocellicauda'', the latter recognized as a separate species in 2022. These Amiiformes are found in the freshwater syste ...
Huxley 1861 sensu Grande & Bemis 1998 (
bowfins)
**** Division
Ginglymodi 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
Teleostei Müller 1844 sensu Arratia 2013
***** Order †?
Araripichthyiformes
***** Order †?
Ligulelliiformes Taverne 2011
***** Order †?
Tselfatiiformes 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 and
spiny eels)
******* Order
Anguilliformes 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; Ostarioclupeomorpha)
********* Subcohort Clupei Wiley & Johnson 2010 (
Clupeomorpha Greenwood et al. 1966)
********** Order †
Ellimmichthyiformes Grande 1982
********** Order
Clupeiformes Bleeker 1859 (
herrings and
anchovies)
********* 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 Bleeker 1859 sensu Goodrich 1909 (
barbs,
carp
The term carp (: carp) is a generic common name for numerous species of freshwater fish from the family (biology), family Cyprinidae, a very large clade of ray-finned fish mostly native to Eurasia. While carp are prized game fish, quarries and a ...
,
danios,
goldfishes,
loaches,
minnows,
rasboras)
*********** Order
Characiformes Goodrich 1909 (
characins,
pencilfishes,
hatchetfishes,
piranhas,
tetras,
dourado / golden (genus ''Salminus'') and
pacu)
*********** Order
Gymnotiformes Berg 1940 (
electric eel
The electric eels are a genus, ''Electrophorus'', of neotropical freshwater fish from South America in the family Gymnotidae, of which they are the only members of the subfamily Electrophorinae. They are known for their electric fish, ability ...
s and
knifefishes)
*********** Order
Siluriformes Cuvier 1817 sensu Hay 1929 (
catfishes)
******** Cohort Euteleosteomorpha (Greenwood et al. 1966) (
Euteleostei
Euteleostei, whose members are known as euteleosts, is a clade of bony fishes within Teleostei that evolved some 240 million years ago, although the oldest known fossil remains are only from the Early Cretaceous. It is divided into Protacanthopt ...
Greenwood 1967 sensu Johnson & Patterson 1996)
*********Subcohort Lepidogalaxii
********** Order
Lepidogalaxiiformes Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 (
salamanderfish)
********* 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 (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
,
trout and
pike)
********* Subcohort Stomiati
********** Order
Osmeriformes (
smelts)
********** Order
Stomiiformes Regan 1909 (
bristlemouths and
marine hatchetfishes)
********* Subcohort
Neoteleostei Nelson 1969
**********Infracohort Ateleopodia
*********** Order
Ateleopodiformes (
jellynose fish)
********** 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 Regan 1911 (
lanternfishes)
************ Subsection
Acanthomorpha Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013
*************Division Lampridacea Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013
ampridomorpha; Lampripterygii************** Order
Lampriformes Regan 1909 (
oarfish,
opah and
ribbonfishes)
************* Division Paracanthomorphacea sensu Grande et al. 2013 (
Paracanthopterygii Greenwood 1937)
************** Order
Percopsiformes Berg 1937 (
cavefishes and
trout-perches)
************** Order †
Sphenocephaliformes Rosen & Patterson 1969
************** Order
Zeiformes Regan 1909 (
dories)
************** 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 (
beardfishes)
************* Division Euacanthomorphacea Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 (Euacanthomorpha sensu Johnson & Patterson 1993;
Acanthopterygii Gouan 1770 sensu])
**************Order
Trachichthyiformes (
fangtooths and
pineconefishes)
**************Subdivision Berycimorphaceae Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013
*************** Order
Beryciformes (
alfonsinos and
holocentrids) (incl.
Holocentriformes,
Stephanoberyciformes;
Cetomimiformes)
************** Subdivision Percomorphaceae Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 (
Percomorpha sensu Miya et al. 2003;
Acanthopteri)
***************Series Ophidiimopharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013
**************** Order
Ophidiiformes (
pearlfishes)
*************** Series Batrachoidimopharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013
**************** Order
Batrachoidiformes (
toadfishes)
*************** Series Gobiomopharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013
**************** Order
Gobiiformes (
cardinalfishes, sleepers and
gobies
Gobiidae or gobies is a family of bony fish in the order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising over 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typically less than in length, and the fam ...
)
*************** Series Scombrimopharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013
**************** Order
Syngnathiformes (
seahorses,
pipefishes,
sea moths,
cornetfishes and
flying gurnards
[In Nelson and ITIS, Syngnathiformes is placed as the suborder Syngnathoidei of the order Gasterosteiformes.])
**************** Order
Scombriformes (
Tunas and (
mackerels)
*************** Series Carangimopharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013
**************** Subseries Anabantaria Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2014
***************** Order
Synbranchiformes (
swamp eels)
***************** Order
Anabantiformes (Labyrinthici) (
gouramies,
snakeheads, )
**************** Subseries Carangaria Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2014
***************** Order
Carangiformes
Carangiformes is a large, diverse order of ray-finned fishes within the clade Percomorpha. It is part of a sister clade to the Ovalentaria, alongside its sister group, the Anabantaria (including Anabantiformes and Synbranchiformes). The Cara ...
(
Jack mackerel
Jack mackerels or saurels are marine ray-finned fish in the genus ''Trachurus'' of the family Carangidae. The name of the genus derives from the Greek (language), Greek words ''trachys'' ("rough") and ''oura'' ("tail"). Some species, such as ''T ...
s,
pompanos,
flatfishes,
billfishes)
**************** Subseries Ovalentaria Smith & Near 2012 (
Stiassnyiformes sensu Li et al. 2009)
***************** Order
Atheriniformes Rosen 1964 (
silversides and
rainbowfishes)
***************** Order
Cyprinodontiformes Berg 1940 (
livebearers,
killifishes)
***************** Order
Beloniformes
Beloniformes is an order composed of six families (and about 264 species) of freshwater and marine ray-finned fish:
* Adrianichthyidae (ricefish and medakas)
* Belonidae (needlefish)
* Exocoetidae (flyingfishes)
* Hemiramphidae (halfb ...
Berg 1940 (
flyingfishes and
ricefishes)
***************** Order
Cichliformes Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013 (
Cichlids,
Convict blenny, leaf fishes)
***************** Order
Mugiliformes Berg 1940 (
mullets)
***************** Order
Blenniiformes Springer 1993 (
Blennies,
damselfish,
Clingfishes)
*************** Series Eupercaria Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2014 (Percomorpharia Betancur-Rodriguez et al. 2013)
****************Order
Perciformes
Perciformes (), also called the Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish in the clade Percomorpha. ''Perciformes'' means " perch-like". Among the well-known members of this group are perches and darters ( Percidae), and als ...
Bleeker 1859
****************Order
Centrarchiformes Bleeker 1859 (
Sunfishes and mandarin fishes)
****************Order
Labriformes
Labriformes is an Order (biology), order of ray-finned fishes within the clade Percomorpha. Some authors include the Labriformes as the clade Labroidei within the Perciformes while others include more Family (biology), families within the Labrif ...
(
Wrasses and
Parrotfishes)
****************Order
Acropomatiformes
****************Order
Acanthuriformes
**************** Order
Lophiiformes Garman 1899 (
Anglerfish
The anglerfish are ray-finned fish in the order Lophiiformes (). Both the order's common name, common and scientific name comes from the characteristic mode of predation, in which a modified dorsal Fish fin#Ray-fins, fin ray acts as a Aggressiv ...
es)
**************** Order
Tetraodontiformes Regan 1929 (
Filefishes and
pufferfish)
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Fish classes
Extant Silurian first appearances