Specimen image via iDigBio
Ophidiiformes
Sign in to saveOphidiiformes is an order of ray-finned fish that includes the cusk-eels (family Ophidiidae), pearlfishes (family Carapidae), viviparous brotulas (family Bythitidae), and others. Members of this order have small heads and long slender bodies. They have either smooth scales or no scales, a long dorsal fin and an anal fin that typically runs into the caudal fin. They mostly come from the tropics and subtropics, and live in both freshwater and marine habitats, including abyssal depths. They have adopted a range of feeding methods and lifestyles, including parasitism. The majority are egg-laying,
Species
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ORDER
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassTeleostei
- OrderOphidiiformes
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 116
- With media
- 2
- Collections
- CAS
- Recorded in
- French Polynesia, Philippines, Micronesia, Thailand, Palau, Guam, Vietnam
~7 min read
Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Distribution
- Characteristics
- Classification
- Timeline of genera
- References
Ophidiiformes is an order of ray-finned fish that includes the cusk-eels (family Ophidiidae), pearlfishes (family Carapidae), viviparous brotulas (family Bythitidae), and others. Members of this order have small heads and long slender bodies. They have either smooth scales or no scales, a long dorsal fin and an anal fin that typically runs into the caudal fin. They mostly come from the tropics and subtropics, and live in both freshwater and marine habitats, including abyssal depths. They have adopted a range of feeding methods and lifestyles, including parasitism. The majority are egg-laying, but some are viviparous.
The earliest fossil members are known from the Maastrichtian, and include the basal ophidiiform Pastorius from Italy and several species of the basal cusk-eel Ampheristus from the United States and Germany.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ophidiiformes” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.