Order ,

• 241 , 35 genera, 2 families • Deep pelagic and benthic, numerically dominant in deep sea habitats • Large terminal mouth (reminiscent of ) • Adipose fin present • Compressed head and body (Myctophiformes = nose serpent shape) Lampridiformes • Large eyes •

Acanthomorpha •Hollow unsegmented spines on dorsal and anal fins •Rostal and premaxilla cartilidge and ligaments allow greater jaw protrusability

Order Lampridiformes, and Order Lampridiformes, opahs and oarfish • Oarfish • 19 species, 12 genera, 7 families – Longest – over 30 feet • no true spines in fins – Only one individual observed • unique upper jaw protrusion – alive, used amiiform maxilla not directly attached to swimming ethmoid or palentine • deep bodied or ribbon-like • pelagic and deep water marine

1 Order Percopsiformes, perch, ,

• 3 families, 7 genera, 9 species • All freshwater • Few with adipose fins – one of the most derived with them • Pirate perch (Aphredoderidae) – One species – Fairly extensive parental care – Anus migration • Cavefish () – Reduction or loss of eyes – Sensory papillae on head, body and tail •Hollow unsegmented spines on – Anus migration dorsal and anal fins •Rostal and premaxilla cartilidge – Convergent evolution of cave and ligaments allow greater jaw and other cave characins, protrusability etc.

Order Zeiformes Order Gadiiformes • Dories • 555 species, 75 genera, 9 families • 6 families, 16 genera, 32 species • True with 3 dorsal, 2 anal fins • Marine, deep and compressed body • Pelvic fins absent or in front of • Unbranched dorsal and anal fin rays pectorals fins • No between 4th and 5th arches • marine (only 1 freshwater species) • Vomerine teeth, no palentine teeth • primarily coldwater • 5-10 dorsal spines, 22-36 rays • important commercial , (>1/4 world catch) second to Clupeidae in global catch

Lota lota (Burbot, freshwater )

2 Collapse of

• 95-99% decline in biomass in some areas

• Some failed to recover even after cessation of , other stocks appear to be well managed

Polymixiiformes Acanthomorpha •Hollow unsegmented spines on dorsal and anal fins Batrachoidiiformes •Rostal and premaxilla cartilidge and ligaments allow greater jaw protrusability

Order Polymixiformes, Order Ophiidiformes, cusk-,

• 5 species, 1 genera, 1 • 385 species, 100 genera, 5 (polymixidae) families • Pair of hyoid barbels • marine (5 species • Marine, Benthic, tropical and subtropical, freshwater) typically >800m • Pelvic fins lost or inserted • Taxonomic status uncertain, frequently near jugular classified with • Scales lost or small • Anal fin typically continuous with reduced caudal fin • – are inquiline, live inside starfish or body cavities

A. Galathea – deepest known fish, specimen caught in 8,370 m in the Puerto Rico Trench

3 Order Batrachoidiformes, toadfishes or frogfishes • 69 species, 19 genera, 1 family () • shallow mostly marine (one freshwater family), tropical and temperate • Loss of scales, large dorsal eyes • First dorsal and pelvic fins with spines • Uses sounds and photophores (midshipman is rare shallow water species with photophores) in courtship • Jugular position of pelvic fins

Beryciformes Acanthomorpha Holocentriformes •Hollow unsegmented spines on dorsal and anal fins •Rostal and premaxilla cartilidge and ligaments allow greater jaw protrusability

Order Beryciformes, Pricklefish, gibberfish, whalefish Order Holocentriformes • 9 families, 28 genera, 165 species • Squirrelfishes, pinecondfish, roughies • unresolved. Formerly • 7 families, 29 genera, 144 species consider basal to • Mostly marine • Round, soft bodied, toothless, deep • Some deep sea: small, robust bodies, some with sea predators photophores • Shallow: nocturnal, large eyes, bright red, perch- like • Taxonomy unresolved

4 A few Percamorph Adaptations

• Scombridae – (endothermy) • Coryphaenidae – dolphinfishes (skeletal dimorphism) • Echeneidae – suckers (first modified into sucker) • Opistognathidae – jawfishes (burrowing) • Apogonidae – cardinalfishes (nocturnal reef ) • Toxotidae – archerfish (terrestrial Percomorpha hunters) •Typically 5 or fewer hypurals • Scaridae – parrotfishes (coral •Pelvic fins typically 6 or fewer rays •Typically ctenoid scales eaters) •More mobile upper jaw (diverse feeding biology) • Channichthyidae – icefishes (loss of •Ligamentous support for pectoral girdle •Typical connection between pectoral and pelvic girdle ribs, erythrocytes) •13 orders, ~250 families, ~2,400 genera, ~14,797 species • Kurtidae – nurseryfishes (forehead •Some also include in this group (monophly not established): brooders) – Batrachoidiformes – Ophidiiformes • Channidae – snakeheads – Beryciformes (suprabranchial organ)

Mississippi Percamorphs Order – , tuna, bonito, cutlassfishes • Family Percidae - • Family – sunfish and bass • 17 families, ~260 species • Family Moronidae – temperate basses • Recent split from • Family Sciaenidae - drums • Marine pelagic carnivores • Family Elassomatidae – • Scombridae: regional endothermy, ram • Family Fundulidae – topminnows ventilating, two dorsal fins with finlets • Family Mugilidae - • Family Cichlidae (introduced) • Family Atherinidae – silversides • Trichiuridae: elongate and compressed body, fang like teeth, dorsal fin often • Family Poeciliidae - livebearers nearly the length of the body, lost or reduced

5 Order Mugiliformes, mullets Order , , , seamoths • One family, Mugilidae • 10 families, ~65 genera, ~270 species • 17 genera, 72 species • Elongate bodies with bony rings • Two widely separated dorsal fins: • Reduced anal fin spiny dorsal fin (4 spines) and soft • Often loss of dorsal, anal or pectoral fins dorsal fin (8-10 rays) • Only one kidney (right side) that is • Pectoral fins high on the body aglomerular • Ctenoid scales, absent • Shallow marine, few freshwater species • most coastal marine & brackish (how?) detritivores • Males care for eggs, sometimes in a pouch • Mullidae most likely belongs in • Primitive state has females carrying eggs in a Syngnathiformes “pouch” formed by pelvic fins fused to body • Global distribution

Order • Swamp eels • Abdominal/tail pouch • 15 genera, 99 species • Numbers = increasing • like body pouch complexity • Gill openings on lower half of body • Non-protrusable mouth • Freshwater, backwater swampy habitats • not catadramous • Some obligate air breathers, some terrestrial

• Reversed sex roles (males pregnant) evolved more than once in group, seen in both abdominal and tail pouches.

6 Order Synbranchiformes, Family Synbranchidae

• Tropical, subtropical • Loss of pelvic fins • Palatoquadrate articulates in two places – only amphistylic teleost • Gill openings small slit or pore under head • Loss of ribs • Loss of

• New species of blind eel that burrows through the soil discovered

• Considered by many to be the least fish-like of fishes, swamp eels are a real oddity and rarely documented. Now Museum scientists have described an entirely new species.

• The fish was discovered not in water but in damp soil. Museum researcher Dr Rachunliu G Kamei uncovered it while searching the rainforest for an entirely different group of , the legless amphibians called caecilians.

• 'We were digging all day every day for caecilians in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, in the north-east of , when I chanced upon this fish,' explains Rachunliu. 'This is the only specimen of the species, as we couldn't find any more.'

Order Pleuronectiformes, , , Order Pleuronectiformes, Family Achiridae, American soles

• 678 species, 134 genera, 14 families • 7 genera, 33 species • highly modified adult morphology, body plan • Dorsal and anal fins free from caudal fin changes ontogenetically • Marine and freshwater • compressed body, not bilaterally symmetric • One eye migrates, primitive members show the least movement • Long dorsal and anal fins • benthic carnivores, loss of swim bladder • Some can change colors to match substrate • commercial interest • mostly marine, 10 species freshwater only

7 Order Pleuronectiformes, Family Pleuronectidae, righteye • Dorsal fin origin above eye • Pelvic fins symmetrical • Well developed lateral line • Commercial importance (halibut) – Slow growth, maturity (8 years) – In danger of crash • 23 genera, 60 species

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