Lampriformes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lampriformes Fossil range: Late Paleocene–Recent |
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Turkmenidae (extinct) |
Lampriformes (also spelt Lampridiformes) are an order of ray-finned fish that includes about 50 living species of deep sea fishes, including the opahs, crestfishes, ribbonfishes, and oarfish. These are acanthomorph teleosts which diverged at the end of the Cretaceous or in the succeeding Paleocene period, 60-70 million years ago. Their sister order is the Myctophiformes.
Lampriforms have a highly variable body form, but they are usually deep-bodied or elongate. They vary greatly in size, ranging from less than 30 centimetres (12 in) in the sailfin moonfishes, to the longest of all bony fishes, Regalecus glesne, which has been recorded at up to 17 metres (56 ft). The premaxilla completely excludes the maxilla from the gape. However, the jaws are highly protrusible, with a unique type of protrusible upper jaw. The maxilla, instead of being ligamentously attached to the ethmoid and palatine, slides in and out with the highly protractile premaxilla.[1]
The lampridiforms have 84-96 total vertebrae, but lack fin spines. The pelvic fins have 0-17 rays and are placed rather far toward the front of the animal. The dorsal fins are long, and tend to run most of the length of the body. They lack scales. The fishes are normally found at depths of 100-1000 m but are pelagic, not bottom feeders. They are typically brightly coloured as adults, often with brilliant crimson fins.
[edit] Classification
The order contains eighteen known species in seven families:
Order Lampriformes
- Veliferidae - Sailfin moonfishes (2 species)
- Lamprididae - Opahs (2 species)
- Stylephoridae - Tube-eye (1 species)
- Lophotidae - Crestfishes (2 species)
- Radiicephalidae - Tapertail (1 species)
- Trachipteridae - Ribbonfishes (8 species)
- Regalecidae - Oarfishes (2 species)
[edit] References
- ^ Olney, John E. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 167–169. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- "Lampriformes". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
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