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Elopomorpha
Encyclopedia
The superorder Elopomorpha contains a variety of types of fishes that range from typical silvery colored fish-like species such as the tarpons and ladyfishes of the Elopiformes
and the bonefishes of the Albuliformes, to the long and slender, smooth bodied eels of the Anguilliformes. The one characteristic that unites this group of fishes is that they all have leptocephalus
larvae, which are the unique larval form of the Elopomorpha. No other fishes have this type of larvae.
Elopomorpha is a group of Teleostei
fishes that was historically separated into the following taxonomic groups:
Recent molecular genetic data has shown however, that the Notocanthiformes is part of the Albuliformes, and that the Saccopharyngiformes is part of the Anguilliformes.
Elopiformes
Elopiformes is the order of ray-finned fish that includes the tarpons, tenpounders, and ladyfish, as well as a number of extinct types. They have a long fossil record, easily distinguished from other fishes by the presence of an additional set of bones in the throat.They are related to the order...
and the bonefishes of the Albuliformes, to the long and slender, smooth bodied eels of the Anguilliformes. The one characteristic that unites this group of fishes is that they all have leptocephalus
Leptocephalus
A leptocephalus is the flat and transparent larva of the eel, marine eels, and other members of the Superorder Elopomorpha. Fishes with a leptocephalus larva stage include the most familiar eels such as the conger, moray eel, and garden eel, and the freshwater eels of the family Anguillidae, plus...
larvae, which are the unique larval form of the Elopomorpha. No other fishes have this type of larvae.
Elopomorpha is a group of Teleostei
Teleostei
Teleostei is one of three infraclasses in class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes. This diverse group, which arose in the Triassic period, includes 20,000 extant species in about 40 orders; most living fishes are members of this group...
fishes that was historically separated into the following taxonomic groups:
- ElopiformesElopiformesElopiformes is the order of ray-finned fish that includes the tarpons, tenpounders, and ladyfish, as well as a number of extinct types. They have a long fossil record, easily distinguished from other fishes by the presence of an additional set of bones in the throat.They are related to the order...
- ElopidaeElopidaeElopidae is a family of ray-finned fish containing the single genus Elops. They are commonly known as ladyfishes, skipjacks, Jack-Rashes, or tenpounders....
- Megalopidae
- Elopidae
- Albuliformes
- Albulidae
- NotacanthiformesNotacanthiformesNotacanthiformes is an order of deep-sea ray-finned fishes, consisting of the families Halosauridae and Notacanthidae The order is of relatively recent vintage; Fishes of the World lists it as a suborder Notacanthoidei of Albuliformes...
- Halosauridae
- NotacanthidaeNotacanthidaeThe deep-sea spiny eels are a family, Notacanthidae, of fishes found worldwide below , and going as deep as .Their bodies of deep sea spiny eels are greatly elongated, though more tapered than in true eels. The caudal fin is small or nonexistent, while the anal fin is lengthy, as long as half of...
- Anguilliformes
- AnguilloideiAnguilloideiThe Anguilloidei are a sub-order of the order Anguilliformes that contains 6 families:*Anguillidae *Chlopsidae *Heterenchelyidae*Moringuidae *Muraenidae *Myrocongridae...
- Nemichthyoidei
- Congroidei
- Synaphobranchoidei
- Anguilloidei
- SaccopharyngiformesSaccopharyngiformesSaccopharyngiformes is an order of unusual ray-finned fish superficially similar to eels, but with many internal differences. Most of the fish in this order are deep-sea types known from only a handful of specimens such as the Umbrella Mouth Gulper Eel. Saccopharyngiformes are also bioluminescent...
- Cyematidae
- Saccopharyngidae
- Eurypharyngidae
- Monognathidae
Recent molecular genetic data has shown however, that the Notocanthiformes is part of the Albuliformes, and that the Saccopharyngiformes is part of the Anguilliformes.