| Antigonia Temporal range: 55–0 Ma Eocene to Present[1] |
|
|---|---|
| Deepbody boarfish, Antigonia capros | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Zeiformes |
| Family: | Caproidae |
| Genus: | Antigonia Lowe, 1843 |
Antigonia is a genus of zeiform marine fish belonging to the family Caproidae, of which it composes eleven of the family's twelve species. Antigonia carry the common name boarfish. These are deep-water species, generally found at depths below 50 metres (160 ft).
Like other zeiform fishes, boarfish have deep and thin bodies. Boarfish are small, with only a few species known to reach a maximum total length of 30 centimetres (12 in) and most reaching less than half that figure. The classification of the boarfishes in the Zeiformes order is uncertain, since they have many perciform characters, for instance in the caudal skeleton. Coloration is usually red, pink and silvery.