Amiidae is a family of primitive ray-finned fish. Only one species, Amia calva, the bowfin, survives today, although additional species in all four subfamilies are known from Jurassic

Jurassic

The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to  Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...

, Cretaceous

Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...

, and Eocene

Eocene

The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...

 fossil

Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...

s.

Bowfins are now found throughout eastern North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, typically in slow-moving backwaters, canals and ox-bow lakes. When the oxygen level is low (as often happens in still waters), bowfins can rise to the surface and gulp air into its swim bladder, which is lined with blood vessels and can serve as a primitive lung

Lung

The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...

.

Taxonomy

The family is divided into four subfamilies, with eleven genera described.

• Amiidae
  • Subfamily Amiinae
    • Genus Amia
      Bowfin
      The Bowfin, Amia calva, is the last surviving member of the order Amiiformes , and of the family Amiidae...
      
      
    • Genus †Cyclurus
    • Genus †Pseudoamiatus
  • Subfamily †Amiopsinae
    • Genus †Amiopsis
      Amiopsis
      Amiopsis is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish belonging to the Amiidae family.-See also:* Prehistoric fish* List of prehistoric bony fish...
      
      
  • Subfamily †Solnhofenamiinae
    • Genus †Solnhofenamia
  • Subfamily †Vidalamiinae
    
    • Genus †Calamopleurus
      Calamopleurus
      Calamopleurus is an extinct genus of bowfin, comprising three species: C. cylindricus and C. mawsoni from Brazil and C. africanus from Africa....
      
      
    • Genus †Maliamia
    • Genus †Melvius
    • Genus †Pachyamia
    • Genus †Vidalamia
  • Subfamily "incertae sedis
    Incertae sedis
    , is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
    
    "
    • Genus †Nipponamia