The Synodontidae or lizardfishes(or typical lizardfish to distinguish them from the Bathysauridae and Pseudotrichonotidae) are

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning " ...

(bottom-dwelling) marine and estuarine bony fishes that belong to the aulopiform fish order, a diverse group of marine ray-finned fish consisting of some 15 extant and several prehistoric families. They are found in tropical and subtropical marine waters throughout the world. Lizardfishes are generally small, although the largest species measures about in length. They have slender, somewhat cylindrical bodies, and heads that superficially resemble those of

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia altho ...

s. The

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

is located in the middle of the back, and accompanied by a small

adipose 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 se ...

placed closer to the tail. They have mouths full of sharp teeth, even on the tongue. Lizardfishes are benthic animals that live in shallow coastal waters; even the deepest-dwelling species of lizardfish live in waters no more than deep. Some species in the subfamily

Harpadontinae The Harpadontinae are a subfamily of lizardfishes in the family Synodontidae. It comprises two genera: *''Harpadon'' *''Saurida ''Saurida'' is a genus of fish in the family Synodontidae. Species There are currently 23 recognized species in ...

live in

brackish 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 estua ...

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 environme ...

. They prefer sandy environments, and typically have body colours that help to camouflage them in such environments. The

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 of lizardfishes are free-swimming. They are distinguished by the presence of black blotches in their guts, clearly visible through their transparent, scaleless skin.

Taxonomy

Three genera of the Synodontidae are known to inhabit the western Atlantic, including ''Synodus'', represented by six species, ''Saurida'', represented by four species, and ''Trachinocephalus'', represented by a single species. The six species comprising the genus ''Synodus'' are '' S. intermedius'', '' S. saurus'', '' S. synodus'', '' S. foetens'', ''S. bondi'', and '' S. macrostigmus''. The four species comprising the genus ''Saurida'' are '' S. umeyoshii'', '' S. pseudotumbil'', '' S. undosquamis'', and '' S. tumbil''. The single species of ''Trachinocephalus'' is ''T. myops''. The extinct '' Argillichthys'' is represented only by a single species, ''A. toombsi'', from the

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

-aged

London Clay The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian (early Eocene Epoch, c. 56–49 million years ago) age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for its fossil content. The fossils from ...

formation.

Notes

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q854803 Ray-finned fish families Taxa named by Theodore Gill

Taxonomy

See also

Notes

References