Ray-finned fish Fossil range: Latest Silurian–Recent
Atlantic herring
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Osteichthyes Class: Actinopterygii Klein, 1885
Subclasses
Chondrostei Neopterygii See text for orders.

The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. They are the dominant group of vertebrates, with over 27,000 species ubiquitous throughout fresh water and marine environments.

Classification

Traditionally three grades of Actinopterygii have been recognized: the Chondrostei, Holostei, and Teleostei. The second is paraphyletic and tends to be abandoned, however, while the first is now restricted to those forms closer to extant Chondrostei than to the other groups. Nearly all fish alive today are teleosts.

A listing of the different groups is given below, down to the level of orders, arranged in what is believed to represent the evolutionary sequence down to the level of superorder. The listing follows FishBase^[1] with notes when this differs from Nelson^[2] and ITIS.^[3]

• Subclass Chondrostei
  • Order Polypteriformes, including the bichirs and reedfishes
  • Order Acipenseriformes, including the sturgeons and paddlefishes
• Subclass Neopterygii
  • Infraclass Holostei
    • Order Lepisosteiformes, the gars
    • Order Amiiformes, the bowfins
  • Infraclass Teleostei
    • Superorder Osteoglossomorpha
      • Order Osteoglossiformes, the bony-tongued fishes
      • Order Hiodontiformes, including the mooneye and goldeye
    • Superorder Elopomorpha
      • Order Elopiformes, including the ladyfishes and tarpon
        Order Albuliformes, the bonefishes
        Order Notacanthiformes, including the halosaurs and spiny eels
        Order Anguilliformes, the true eels and gulpers
        Order Saccopharyngiformes, including the gulper eel
    • Superorder Clupeomorpha
      • Order Clupeiformes, including herrings and anchovies
    • Superorder Ostariophysi
      • Order Gonorynchiformes, including the milkfishes
        Order Cypriniformes, including barbs, carp, danios, goldfishes, loaches, minnows, rasboras
        Order Characiformes, including characins, pencilfishes, hatchetfishes, piranhas, tetras.
        Order Gymnotiformes, including electric eels and knifefishes
        Order Siluriformes, the catfishes
    • Superorder Protacanthopterygii
      • Order Salmoniformes, including salmon and trout
        Order Esociformes the pike
        Order Osmeriformes, including the smelts and galaxiids
    • Superorder Stenopterygii
      • Order Ateleopodiformes, the jellynose fish
        Order Stomiiformes, including the bristlemouths and marine hatchetfishes
    • Superorder Cyclosquamata
      • Order Aulopiformes, including the Bombay duck and lancetfishes
    • Superorder Scopelomorpha
      • Order Myctophiformes, including the lanternfishes
    • Superorder Lampridiomorpha
      • Order Lampriformes, including the oarfish, opah and ribbonfishes
    • Superorder Polymyxiomorpha
      • Order Polymixiiformes, the beardfishes
    • Superorder Paracanthopterygii
      • Order Percopsiformes, including the cavefishes and trout-perches
        Order Batrachoidiformes, the toadfishes
        Order Lophiiformes, including the anglerfishes
        Order Gadiformes, including cods
        Order Ophidiiformes, including the pearlfishes
    • Superorder Acanthopterygii
      • Order Mugiliformes, the mullets
        Order Atheriniformes, including silversides and rainbowfishes
        Order Beloniformes, including the flyingfishes
        Order Cetomimiformes, the whalefishes
        Order Cyprinodontiformes, including livebearers, killifishes
        Order Stephanoberyciformes, including the ridgeheads
        Order Beryciformes, including the fangtooths and pineconefishes
        Order Zeiformes, including the dories
        Order Gobiesociformes, the clingfishes[4]
        Order Gasterosteiformes including sticklebacks, pipefishes, seahorses
        Order Syngnathiformes, including the seahorses and pipefishes [5]
        Order Synbranchiformes, including the swamp eels
        Order Tetraodontiformes, including the filefishes and pufferfish
        Order Pleuronectiformes, the flatfishes
        Order Scorpaeniformes, including scorpionfishes and the weaver fish
        Order Perciformes 40% of all fish including anabantids, bass, cichlids, gobies, gouramis, mackerel, perches, scats, whiting, wrasses

Notes

1. ^ R. Froese and D. Pauly (editors) (February 2006). FishBase.
2. ^ Joseph S. Nelson. Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-54713-1.
3. ^ Actinopterygii (TSN 161061). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 3 April 2006.
4. ^ In ITIS, Gobiesociformes is placed as the suborder Gobiesocoidei of the order Perciformes.
5. ^ In ITIS, Syngnathiformes is placed as the suborder Syngnathoidei of the order Gasterosteiformes.

External links

• NCBI Taxonomy entry