Stephanoberyciformes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Scopelogadus mizolepis mizolepis, a ridgehead
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Gibberichthyidae |
The Stephanoberyciformes are an order of marine ray-finned fishes, consisting of about 45 species, the majority (37) of which belong to the ridgehead family (Melamphaidae). The Stephanoberyciformes are mostly uncommon deep-sea species with little if any importance to commercial fishery. They share many morphological similarities with the Beryciformes, their sister order.
Some sources[1] classify thir other close relatives, the whalefishes, as a superfamily herein, named Cetomimoidea. Most taxa traditionally placed here would then be the Stephanoberyciodea.
The families are:
- Melamphaidae – ridgeheads
- Gibberichthyidae – gibberfishes
- Stephanoberycidae – pricklefishes
- Hispidoberycidae
Common characteristics include a generally rounded body, a toothless palate, rather thin skull bones, and a missing orbitosphenoid bone (except for Hispidoberyx).
The gibberfishes on the other hand appear to be closer to whalefishes such as Rondeletia, as has been proposed times and again. These two groups have - apparently as only living fishes - the mysterious Tominaga's organ. Rondeletia, meanwhile, is suspected to be very close to the velvet whalefish, Barbourisia rufa.[2]
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
- Nelson, J.S. (2006): Fishes of the World (4th ed.). ISBN 0-471-25031-7
- Paxton, John R.; Johnson, G. David & Trnski, Thomas (2001): Larvae and juveniles of the deepsea "whalefishes" Barbourisia and Rondeletia (Stephanoberyciformes: Barbourisiidae, Rondeletiidae), with comments on family relationships. Records of the Australian Museum 53(3): 407-425. PDF fulltext
[edit] External links
- "Stephanoberyciformes". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
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