Gasterosteiformes
Three-spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Actinopterygii   Order: Gasterosteiformes
Families
Aulorhynchidae Gasterosteidae Hypoptychidae Indostomidae Pegasidae

Gasterosteiformes is an order of ray-finned fishes that includes the sticklebacks and sea moths.^[1]

In the gasterosteiformes, the pelvic girdle is never attached to the cleithra directly, and the supramaxillary, orbitosphenoid, and basisphenoid bones are absent. The body is often partly or completely covered with dermal plates.

The name "Gasterosteiformes" means "stomach bone shaped"; it is derived from Greek gaster meaning "stomach", osteon meaning "bone" and Latin forma meaning "shape".

Classification

In Nelson^[2] and ITIS[3] Gasterosteiformes includes the sea horses and pipefishes, as the suborder Syngnathoidei, with the sticklebacks and relatives in the suborder Gasterosteoidei. In FishBase^[4] these groups are included in their own order, Syngnathiformes.

FishBase lists five families:

• Aulorhynchidae (tubesnouts and tubenoses)
  Gasterosteidae (sticklebacks)
  Hypoptychidae (sand eels)
  Indostomidae[5]
  Pegasidae (dragonfishes and sea moths)[5]

References

1. ^ "Gasterosteiformes". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
2. ^ Joseph S. Nelson. Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-54713-1.
3. ^ Gasterosteiformes (TSN 166361). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 8 April 2006.
4. ^ "Syngnathiformes". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
5. ^ ^a b Indostomidae and Pegasidae are included in Syngnathoidei (corresponding to Syngnathiformes) in ITIS, but in Gasterosteiformes in FishBase.

External links

• Gasterosteiformes entry on Animal Diversity Web