Scientific Facts Concerning Fish

By Daniel Zimmermann

This e-bookis a collection of articles on different kinds of fish. Especially interesting are comments onthe scientific names,often revealing something about the author who named the species and sometimes explaiñing the derivation of the scientific name. Other significant facts are explained, such as, the range,habits, and appearance of each species.
Among the species treated arethe milkfish, eels, threadfin breams, bonefish, Lipogenys gilli (spiny sucker eel), fish of the genus Notacanthus,the family Halosauridae, the grnus Galaxias, the koaru and kokopu, the oarfish, etc.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9780359216925

Book preview

Scientific Facts Concerning Fish

Scientific Facts Concerning Fish

By Daniel Zimmermann

Orders of Teleost Fish, Part I

From Acipenseriformes to Lophiiformes

I have long been looking for a stable classification system that I can commit to memory. The work of the Project Linnaeus seems to be promising, though only time will tell. I suggest that everyone support this project so that scientific literature may be based on a uniform classification system.

The following article is based on a list of teleost fish orders presented online by project Linnaeus. In it, I try to present the most important families and/or species in each order.

Other lists of teleost fish orders that I consulted are considerably different from the system that I am following. It is not important which system is better. The important thing is that a fairly good classification system be adopted by all writers, so that the existing confusion may disappear.

Acipenseriformes

According to Encyclopedia.com, this order contains two families: Acipenseridae (the sturgeons) and Polyodontidae (the paddlefish). Acipenseridae contains four genera: Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus, and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The genera Polyodon and Psephurus belong to the family Polyodontidae.

Albuliformes

According to Highbeam, this order contains three families: Albulidae (the bonefish family), Halosauridae (the halosaur family), and Notacanthidae (the marine spiny eel family).

Anguilliformes

Eels and morays belong to this order. It contains many different families. The name of this order is derived from the Latin word anguilla, which means eel.

Argentiniformes

According to Fishes of Australia, this order contains marine smelts and similar fish.

Ateleopodiformes

According to Fishbase, jellynose fishes belong to the order Ateleopodiformes. The only family in the order is Ateleopodidae.

Atheriniformes

According to Zipcode Zoo, the order Atheriniformes contains ten families, including Atherinidae, the Old World silversides; Atherinopsidae, the neotropical silversides; Bedotiidae, the Madagascar rainbowfish; Dentatherinidae, Mercer's tusked silverside; Melanotaeniidae, the rainbowfish; Notocheiridae, the surf silversides; etc.

Aulopiformes

According to the University of Arizona, the order Aulopiformes contains twelve families. It includes the lizard fishes, the deep sea tripod fishes, the Bombay duck, and others.

Batrachoidiformes

According to ITIS, the toadfishes belong to the order Batrachoidiformes. The order name is derived from the ancient Greek word bátrachos, which means frog. Batrachidae is the only family in the order.

Beloniformes

According to the Wet Web Media, the order Beloniformes contains five families, including Hemirhamphidae (the halfbeaks), Belonidae (the needlefish), and Adrianichthyidae (the rice fish).

Beryciformes

According to the Encyclopedia of Life, the order Beryciformes contains seven families: Anamalopidae (lanterneye fish), Anoplogastridae (the fangtooth), Berycidae (the berycids), Diretmidae (the spinyfins), Holocentridae (squirrelfish and soldierfish), Monocentridae (pinecone fish), and Trachichthyidae (the slimeheads).

Characiformes

According to the Encyclopedia of Life, the order Characiformes contains eighteen families, including Characidae, to which the tetras belong, and Cynodontidae, the dogteeth tetras.

Clupeiformes

According to Access Science, the order Clupeiformes contains five families, including Clupeidae. Some members of Clupeidae are called herrings, sardines, or shad. Another family in this order is Engraulidae, to which the anchovies belong.

Cypriniformes

There are five or six families in the order Cypriniformes, including the family Cyprinidae, to which carps and minnows belong. Suckers and loaches also belong to this order, according to the Encyclopedia of Life.

Cyprinodontiformes

According to the Encyclopedia of Life, Cyprinodontiformes includes the killifish, topminnows, splitfins, livebearing toothcarps, egg-laying toothcarps, rivulines, pupfish, and four-eyed fish.

Elopiformes

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the order Elopiformes is small. It contains the tarpons, which belong to the family Megalopidae, and the ladyfish, which belong to the family Elopidae.

Esociformes

According to Animal Diversity Web, the order Esociformes contains two families: Esocidae (the pikes) and Umbridae (the mudminnows).

Gadiformes

According to the Animal Diversity Web, the order Gadiformes contains ten families: including Gadidae (cods and haddocks), Lotidae (hakes and burbots), and Macrouridae (grenadiers or rattails).

Gasterosteiformes

According to the Animal Diversity Web, the order Gasterosteiformes contains the following families: Autorhynchidae (tubesnouts), Gasterosteidae (sticklebacks and tubesnouts), Hypoptychidae (sand eels), Indostomidae (armored sticklebacks), and Pegasidae (seamoths).

Gonorynchiformes

The familiar milkfish belongs to this order. They are members of the family Chanidae. According to ITIS, this order also includes the families Gonorynchidae (beaked sandfishes), Phractolaemidae (the hingemouth), and Kneriidae.

Gymnotiformes

Knifefishes and electric eels belong to the order Gymnotiformes. The order has five families, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Hiodontiformes

According to Access Science, the order Hiodontiformes consists of one family, one genus, and two extant species, Hiodon alosoides (goldeye) and H. tergisus (mooneye). Some authorities include these fish in the order Osteoglossiformes.

Lampriformes

The Animal Diversity Web lists seven families that belong to the order Lampriformes: Lampridae (the opah), Lophotidae (crestfishes), Radiicephalidae (tapertails), Regalecidae (oarfishes), Stylephoridae (tube-eye or thread-tail), Trachipteridae (ribbonfishes), and Veliferidae (velifers).

Note that velifers comes from the Latin words velum, which means sail, and fero, which means to bear. The name was undoubtedly inspired by the appearance of their fins. The dorsal fin of Velifer hypselopterus does indeed look something like a sail.

Lepisosteiformes

Some authorities do not accept Lepisosteiformes as a valid order. It has also been called Semionotiformes and various other names. According to Access Science, the only extant family in the order is the gar family Lepisosteidae.

Lophiiformes

According to Zipcode Zoo, anglerfish belong to the order Lophiiformes: The website lists ten families. Including Lophiidae (the monkfish), Diceratiidae (the double anglers), and Ceratiidae (the sea devils)..

I shall treat the remaining orders in a separate article entitled Orders of Teleost Fish, Part II

Orders of Teleost Fish, Part II

Mugiliformes to Zeiformes

Project Linnaeus has prepared a list of orders into which all teleost fish families are grouped.. This is the second of two articles that I have written on the orders of teleost fish, using the list of Project Linnaeus as a basis. In Orders of Teleost Fish, Part I, I treated the orders at the beginning of the alphabet from Acipenseriformes to Lophiiformes. In this article, I shall treat Mugiliformes to Zeiformes.

In connection with each order, I have provided a link by which the reader may access further information, provided that the links work the way they are suppose to work.

Mugiliformes

According to Access Science, Mugilidae is the only family in the order Mugiliformes. These fish are commonly called mullets.

Myctophiformes

According to ITIS, the order Myctophiformes contains two families: Neoscopelidae and Myctophidae. Myctophidae is the lantern fish family. Members of the family Neoscopelidae are known as blackchins. The lantern fish and some of the blackchins have organs that emit light.

Ophidiiformes

Ophidiiformes is a fairly large order. According to the Encyclopedia of Life, it contains the pearfishes,