Caproidae

Boarfishes Temporal range: Eocene–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Deepbody boarfish, Antigonia capros
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Caproidae Bonaparte, 1835
Genera[1]
Antigonia Capros †Proantigonia †Eoantigonia

Boarfishes are a small family, Caproidae, of marine fishes comprising two genera and 12 species. They were formerly placed in the order Zeiformes with the dories, but are now placed with the Perciformes since they have many perciform characteristics, for instance in the caudal skeleton. Boarfishes are native to the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans, where they are mainly found at depths below 50 m (160 ft).

Boarfishes have deep and thin bodies. They are small, with only a few species known to reach a maximum total length of 30 cm (12 in). Their coloration is red, pink, and silvery.

The earliest identified caproid fossils date to the middle Eocene epoch of the early Tertiary period, or roughly 48.6 to 40 million years ago.

See also

• Some fish of the family Pentacerotidae family (order Perciformes) are also called boarfish.

References