Description
Family Carapidae
Distribution: tropical and subtropical Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Dorsal fin rays shorter than opposite anal rays. Anus of adults and origin of anal fin located behind head and usually under pectoral fin, under vertebrae 1 - 13. Translucent eel-like fishes without scales . Wide gill openings, reaching far forward. Vomerine, palatine and jaw teeth present. No opercular spines. Branchiostegal rays 6-7. No supramaxillary . Vertebrae about 85-145. Vexillum present in larvae. Eggs are pelagic , oval , and slightly over 1 mm in the longest dimension (Ref. 240). Pearlfishes are free-living (Echiodon), commensal (Carapus, Onuxodon), or parasitic (Encheliophis, = Jordanicus), living in association with shallow-water invertebrate hosts (holothurians , bivalves , starfishes), largely in coral-dominated communities. Family members occur in shelf and slope waters of 0-2,000 m depth and range from about 65°N to 60°S.The family Carapidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and the Order Ophidiiformes. It contains 7 genera and 31 species. It may be found in Marine environments and is primarily Marine. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is anguilliform .
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
()
- (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Phylum:
Chordata
()
- Bateson, 1885
- Chordates
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
()
- Cuvier, 1812
- Vertebrates
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
()
- Auct.
- Jawed Vertebrates
- Superclass:
Osteichthyes
()
- Huxley, 1880
- Bony Fishes
- Class:
Osteichthyes
()
- Huxley, 1880
- Bony Fishes
- Subclass:
Actinopterygii
()
- Ray-Finned Fishes
- Infraclass:
Actinopteri
()
- Cohort:
Clupeocephala
()
- Superorder:
Paracanthopterygii
()
- Order:
Ophidiiformes
()
- Cusk Eels
- Order:
Ophidiiformes
(
- Superorder:
Paracanthopterygii
(
- Cohort:
Clupeocephala
(
- Infraclass:
Actinopteri
(
- Subclass:
Actinopterygii
(
- Class:
Osteichthyes
(
- Superclass:
Osteichthyes
(
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
(
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
(
- Phylum:
Chordata
(
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
(
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Similar Species
Members of the genus Echiodon
There are approximately 13 species in this genus:
E. anchipterus · E. atopus · E. coheni · E. cryomargarites (Messmate) · E. dawsoni (Chain Pearlfish) · E. dentatus (Fierasfer) · E. drummondii · E. exsilium (Nocturnal Pearlfish) · E. neotes · E. pegasus · E. pukaki · E. rendahli · E. rendhali
More Info
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- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Notes
Contributors
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 18, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 18, 2007:
Identifiers
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14770521
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 2692575
