The Amiidae are a family of basal

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

es. The

bowfin The bowfin (''Amia calva'') is a bony fish, native to North America. Common names include mudfish, mud pike, dogfish, grindle, grinnel, swamp trout, and choupique. It is regarded as a relict, being the sole surviving species of the Halecomorphi ...

is the only species to survive today, although additional species in all four subfamilies of Amiidae are known from

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 th ...

, and

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

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 ...

s. Bowfins are now found throughout eastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, typically in slow-moving backwaters, canals, and ox-bow lakes. When the oxygen level is low (as often happens in still waters), the bowfin can rise to the surface and gulp air into its

swim bladder The swim bladder, gas bladder, fish maw, or air bladder is an internal gas-filled Organ (anatomy), organ that contributes to the ability of many bony fish (but not cartilaginous fish) to control their buoyancy, and thus to stay at their curren ...

, which is lined with blood vessels and can serve as a primitive

lung The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...

. Amiidae is a monophyletic group that has numerous synapomorphic characters. Amiidae were widespread and particularly rich in species during the Eocene era. During this era, they appeared to be confined almost exclusively to fresh water.

Taxonomy

The family is divided into four subfamilies, with 11 genera described: *Amiidae **Subfamily

Amiinae The Amiidae are a family of basal ray-finned fishes. The bowfin is the only species to survive today, although additional species in all four subfamilies of Amiidae are known from Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Eocene fossils. Bowfins are now found ...

***Genus ''

Amia Amia, AMIA, or AMiA may refer to: * ''Amia'' (fish), a genus of fish *American Medical Informatics Association * Anglican Mission in the Americas *Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina, a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina **AMIA ...

'' ***Genus †'' Cyclurus'' ***Genus †'' Pseudoamiatus'' **Subfamily †

Amiopsinae ''Amiopsis'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish belonging to the family Amiidae. Fossils are known from the Late Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone, Germany (''A. lepidota),'' the Early Cretaceous Purbeck Group, England (''A. damoni''), L ...

***Genus †''

Amiopsis ''Amiopsis'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish belonging to the family Amiidae. Fossils are known from the Late Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone, Germany (''A. lepidota),'' the Early Cretaceous Purbeck Group, England (''A. damoni''), L ...

'' **Subfamily † Solnhofenamiinae ***Genus †'' Solnhofenamia'' **Subfamily †

Vidalamiinae The Amiidae are a family of basal ray-finned fishes. The bowfin is the only species to survive today, although additional species in all four subfamilies of Amiidae are known from Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Eocene fossils. Bowfins are now found ...

***Genus †''

Calamopleurus ''Calamopleurus'' is an extinct genus of bowfins, comprising three species: ''C. cylindricus'' and ''C. mawsoni'' from Brazil and ''C. africanus'' from Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, af ...

'' ***Genus †''

Maliamia Maliamia ("Malian bowfin") is an extinct genus of amiid ray-finned fish from the Early Eocene, known from fragmentary remains found in the Tamaguélelt Formation of Mali. It was described in 1989, based on fossils recovered by three separate ...

'' ***Genus †''

Melvius ''Melvius'' is a genus of vidalamiin amiid fish from 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 ...

'' ***Genus †'' Pachyamia'' ***Genus †'' Vidalamia'' **Subfamily ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'' ***Genus †'' Nipponamia'' ***Genus †'' Hispanamia''

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q141948 Amiiformes Extant Jurassic first appearances Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte Ray-finned fish families