Oplegnathidae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Knifejaws Temporal range: Early Miocene to Present[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Oplegnathus fasciatus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Oplegnathidae |
| Genus: | Oplegnathus Richardson, 1840 |
| Species | |
|
See text. | |
The Oplegnathidae are a family of marine fish within the Perciformes, commonly known as knifejaws; some species are known as beakfish. The family contains a single genus, Oplegnathus. The largest, the Cape knifejaw, can reach a maximum length of about 90 cm (35 in). Knifejaws have teeth fused into a parrot-like beak in adulthood. They feed on barnacles and mollusks, and are fished commercially. They are found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean (e.g. Japan), in the southern half of Australia, in the Galapagos, Peru, and Chile, and in Southern Africa.
Species
- Cape knifejaw, Oplegnathus conwayi Richardson, 1840
- Striped beakfish, Oplegnathus fasciatus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844)
- Pacific beakfish, Oplegnathus insignis (Kner, 1867)
- Mozambique knifejaw, Oplegnathus peaolopesi Smith, 1947
- Spotted knifejaw, Oplegnathus punctatus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844)
- Natal knifejaw, Oplegnathus robinsoni Regan, 1916
- Knifejaw, Oplegnathus woodwardi Waite, 1900
References
- ↑ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: p.560. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ITIS: Oplegnathidae, accessed August 24, 2006
- FishBase: Family Oplegnathidae - Knifejaws, accessed August 24, 2006
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). Species of Oplegnathus in FishBase. June 2006 version.
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