Albulidae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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% of ...

, commonly known as the bonefishes, that are popular as

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commercial ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, select locations in the South

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

and the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...

(where two bonefish are featured on the 10-cent coin) and elsewhere. The family is small, with 11

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of 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 appropriate s ...

in 3 genera.Hidaka, K., Tsukamoto, Y. & Iwatsuki, Y. (2016): ''Nemoossis'', a new genus for the eastern Atlantic long-fin bonefish ''Pterothrissus belloci'' Cadenat 1937 and a redescription of ''P. gissu'' Hilgendorf 1877 from the northwestern Pacific. ''Ichthyological Research, 64 (1): 45–53.'' Presently, the bonefishes are in their own order: Albuliformes . The families Halosauridae and

Notacanthidae Notacanthidae, the deep-sea spiny eels, are a family of fishes found worldwide below , and as deep as . The earliest known spiny eel is ''Pronotacanthus sahelalmae'', from the Santonian of what is now Lebanon. Their bodies are greatly elongated ...

were previously classified in this order, but are now, according to FishBase, given their own order

Notacanthiformes The Notacanthiformes are an order of deep-sea ray-finned fishes, consisting of the families Halosauridae and Notacanthidae ( spiny eels). The order is of relatively recent vintage; ''Fishes of the World'' (2006) lists it as the suborder Notacan ...

. The largest bonefish caught in the Western Hemisphere is a 16-pound, 3 ounce example caught off

Islamorada, Florida Islamorada (also sometimes Islas Morada) is an incorporated village in Monroe County, Florida. It is located directly between Miami and Key West on five islands— Tea Table Key, Lower Matecumbe Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Windley Key and Plant ...

, on March 19, 2007.

Description

''Albula''

The bonefishes' closest relatives are the

tarpon Tarpons 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 a ...

s and

ladyfish The Elopidae are a 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 the tropical and sub ...

es in the order

Elopiformes The Elopiformes are the order of ray-finned fish including the tarpons, tenpounders, and ladyfish, as well as a number of extinct types. They have a long fossil record, easily distinguished from other fishes by the presence of an additional se ...

. Bonefishes are unlike tarpons in that their mouths are under the snout rather than the end of it. Like tarpons and ladyfishes, bonefishes can breathe air via a modified swim bladder and are found in

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

s. Bonefish

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e are leptocephalic. The slender body of the bonefish is silver, with a blue to green tinted back. On the upper half of the body there are dark streaks with cross bands connecting to the lateral line. The body is rounded with a long, slightly downturned snout. The

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal c ...

and

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

s are black. Bonefish vary in adult length from 40–100 cm depending on species. The average size of a bonefish is from 3 to 5 pounds (1–2 kg) with the Florida record being 16 pounds 3 oz (7.34 kg). The bonefishes are brackish or

saltwater Saline water (more commonly known as salt water) is water that contains a high concentration of dissolved salts (mainly sodium chloride). On the United States Geological Survey (USGS) salinity scale, saline water is saltier than brackish water, ...

fish typically living in

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...

and travelling out to sea to spawn on a lunar cycle. They feed in the shallow sand and mud flats, on benthic organisms, such as

worm Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always). Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete wo ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s, shrimp and crabs. They use their conical-shaped snouts to root out their prey and can often be seen with their tails out of the water. Bonefishes possess crushing teeth in their palates.

''Nemoossis'' and ''Pterothrissus''

These genera are similar to ''Albula'', except they can be found in deeper waters.

Taxonomy

* Order Albuliformes Greenwood et al. 1966 sensu Forey et al. 1996 lbuloidea Hay; Albuloidei; Albulina Günther 1868ref name="mikko" /> ** Genus †'' Albulelops'' Averjanov, Nesov & Udovichenko 1993 ** Genus †'' Albulidarum'' tolith** Genus †'' Albuloideorum'' tolith** Genus †''

Brannerion ''Brannerion'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bonefish. Fossils of the genus were found in the Romualdo Formation of the Santana Group, Araripe Basin, northeastern Brazil.Cyclotomodon'' Cope 1876 ** Genus †'' Phosphonatator'' Cavin et al. 2000 ** Family † Phyllodontidae Sauvage 1875 corrig. Jordan 1923 hyllodidae Sauvage 1875; Euphyllodontinae Dartevelle & Casier 1943/1949; Pseudophyllodontidae Dartevelle & Casier 1943/1949*** Genus †'' Ardiodus'' White 1931 *** Subfamily †Paralbulinae Estes 1969 **** Genus †'' Baugeichthys'' Filleul 2000 **** Genus †''

Casierius ''Casierius'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous epoch. It is one of the oldest eels. The fossils of this animal were found in Glen Rose Formation near, Hood County, Texas. ...

'' Estes 1969 **** Genus †''

Paralbula ''Paralbula'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish. They can be found in the Hell Creek Formation, in Montana, United States. See also * Prehistoric fish * List of prehistoric bony fish A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List o ...

'' Blake 1940 **** Genus †'' Pseudoegertonia'' Dartevelle & Casier 1949 'Eodiaphyodus''_Arambourg_1952.html" ;"title="Eodiaphyodus.html" ;"title="'Eodiaphyodus">'Eodiaphyodus'' Arambourg 1952">Eodiaphyodus.html" ;"title="'Eodiaphyodus">'Eodiaphyodus'' Arambourg 1952*** Subfamily †Phyllodontinae Dartevelle & Casier 1949 **** Genus †''Egertonia'' Cocchi 1866 **** Genus †''Phyllodus'' Agassiz 1839 ** Family Albulidae Bleeker 1849 ***Subfamily Pterothrissinae Gill 1893 **** Genus †'' Chicolepis'' Cockerell 1919 **** Genus †'' Hajulia'' Woodward 1942 **** Genus †''

Istieus ''Istieus'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived from the Santonian to the Campanian. See also * Prehistoric fish * List of prehistoric bony fish A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: ...

'' Agassiz 1844 'Histieus''_Agassiz_1846_.html" ;"title="Histieus.html" ;"title="' 'Histieus''_Agassiz_1846_">Histieus.html"_;"title="'Histieus">'Histieus''_Agassiz_1846_****_Genus_†''Pterothrissidarum.html" ;"title="Histieus">'Histieus'' Agassiz 1846 ">Histieus.html" ;"title="'Histieus">'Histieus'' Agassiz 1846 **** Genus †''Pterothrissidarum">Histieus">'Histieus'' Agassiz 1846 ">Histieus.html" ;"title="'Histieus">'Histieus'' Agassiz 1846 **** Genus †''Pterothrissidarum'' Nolf & Dockery 1990 tolith**** Genus †''Thrissipteroides'' **** Genus ''Nemoossis'' Hidaka, Tsukamoto & Iwatsuki 2016 **** Genus ''Pterothrissus'' Hilgendorf 1877 [''Bathythrissa'' Günther 1877 ] *** Subfamily Albulinae Bleeker 1849 ixoninidi Fowler 1958; Butirinidi Rafinesque 1810**** Genus †'' Archaealbula'' Winkler 1878 **** Genus †'' Eoalbula'' Frizzell 1965 **** Genus †''

Coriops ''Coriops'' is a genus of prehistoric bony fish. Its fossils are found in Campanian ( Mesa Verde Formation), Maastrichtian (Hell Creek Formation), and possibly Paleocene (also Hell Creek) age deposits. This chronological distribution means that ...

'' Estes 1969 **** Genus †'' Cycloides'' Winkler 1878 **** Genus †'' Eucoelogaster'' White & Moy-Thomas 1940 'Coelogaster'' Agassiz 1835 nomen nudum ; ''Coelogaster'' Eastman 1905 non Schrank 1780 non Schoenherr 1837 non Schultze 1896 ; ''Ptericephalina'' Lioy 1866 ] **** Genus †''Kleinpellia'' David 1946 **** Genus †''Palealbula'' Frizzell 1965 **** Genus †'' Prealbula'' Frizzell 1965 **** Genus †'' Protalbula'' Frizzell 1965 **** Genus †'' Pteralbula'' Stinton 1973 **** Genus †'' Lebonichthys'' Forey 1973 **** Genus †'' Deltaichthys'' Fielitz & Bardack 1992 **** Genus '' Albula'' Gronow 1763 ex Scopoli 1777 non Osbeck 1765 non Bloch & Schneider 1801 non Catesby 1771 'Atopichthys''_Garman_1899;_''Butyrinus.html" ;"title="Atopichthys.html" ;"title="'Atopichthys">'Atopichthys'' Garman 1899; ''Butyrinus">Atopichthys.html" ;"title="'Atopichthys">'Atopichthys'' Garman 1899; ''Butyrinus'' Commerson ex Lacépède 1803; ''Dixonina'' Fowler 1911; ''Albula'' (''Dixonina'') (Fowler 1911); ''Esunculus'' Kaup 1856; ''Glossodonta'' Cuvier 1815; ''Glossodus'' Agassiz 1828 ex Spix & Agassiz 1829 non Costa 1853 non McCoy 1848; '' Metalbula'' Frizzell 1965; '' Pisodus'' Owen 1841; '' Vulpis'' Catesby 1771; '' Conorynchus'' Nozemann 1758 ex Gill 1861 non Bleeker 1863 non Motschousky 1860]

References

{{Authority control Albuliformes, Kimmeridgian first appearances Extant Late Jurassic first appearances ar:الأسماك العظمية nl:Gratenvisachtigen