Overview
Atheriniformes, also known as the silversides, is an of ray-finned fish that includes the Old World silversides and several less-familiar families, including the unusual Phallostethidae. They are found worldwide in tropical and temperate marine and freshwater environments.1]
Description
Atheriniforms are generally elongate and silvery in color, although exceptions do exist. They are typically small fish, with the largest being the jacksmelt, with a head-body length of 44 centimetres (17 in), and the smallest species, such as the Bangkok minnow, being only 2 centimetres (0.79 in) in adult length.[1]
Members of the order usually have two dorsal fins< /a>, the first with flexible spines, and an anal fin with one spine at the front. The lateral line is typically weak or absent.[2] Atheriniform larvae share several characteristics; the gut is unusually short, there is a single row of melanophores along the back, and the fin rays do not become evident until some time after hatching.[2] They scatter their eggs widely, with most species attaching them to aquatic plants.[1]
Taxonomy
Classification of the atheriniforms is uncertain, with the best evidence for monophyly in the larval characteristics mentioned below.[2] Their closest relatives are thought to be the Caprinodontiformes.[1]
Nelson, 2006, the family Melanotaeniidae includes the subfamilies Bedotiinae, Melanotaeniinae, Pseudomugilinae, and Telmatherininae, to demonstrate their monophyly.[2] However, in a 2004 study, a different classification scheme classifies the families Bedotiidae, Melanotaeniidae, and Pseudomugilidae (also include Telmatherinine genera) in a suborder Melanotaenioidei.[3] Thus, the number of families in Atheriniformes varies from author to author.
Classification under Nelson, 2006:[2]
Order Atheriniformes
- Suborder Atherinopsoidei
- Family Atherinopsidae (Neotropical silversides)
- Subfamily Atherinopsinae
- Tribe Atherinopsini
- Tribe Sorgentinini
- Subfamily Menidiinae
- Tribe Menidiini
- Tribe Membradini
- Subfamily Atherinopsinae
- Family Atherinopsidae (Neotropical silversides)
- Suborder Atherinoidei
- Infraorder Notocheiroida
- Family Notocheiridae
- Infraorder Atherinoida
- Family Melanotaeniidae
- Subfamily Bedotiinae
- Subfamily Melanotaeniinae (rainbowfishes)
- Subfamily Pseudomugilinae (blue eyes)
- Subfamily Telmatherininae (sail-fin silversides)
- Family Atherionidae
- Family Phallostethidae
- Subfamily Dentatherininae
- Subfamily Phallostethinae
- Tribe Phallostethini
- Tribe Gulaphallini
- Family Atherinidae (silversides)
- Subfamily Atherinomorinae
- Subfamily Craterocephalinae
- Subfamily Atherininae
- Family Melanotaeniidae
- Infraorder Notocheiroida
Photos
Taxonomy
The Order Atheriniformes is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Family (10): Atherinidae · Atherinopsidae · Atherionidae · Bedotiidae · Dentatherinidae · Melanotaeniidae · Notocheiridae · Phallostethidae · Pseudomugilidae · Telmatherinidae
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 596 species and subspecies in the Order Atheriniformes.
Families
Atherinidae
The Old World silversides are a , Atherinidae, of fish in the order Atheriniformes. They occur worldwide in tropical and temperate waters. About two thirds of the species are marine, and the remainder live in fresh water. [more]
Atherinopsidae
The neotropical silversides are a Atherinopsidae of fish in the order Atheriniformes. The approximately 104 species in 13 genera are distributed throughout the tropical and temperate waters of the New World, including both marine and freshwater habitats. The familiar grunions and Atlantic silverside belong to this family. [more]
Atherionidae
Bedotiidae
Bedotiidae is a of fish known as the Madagascar rainbowfish, Madagascan rainbowfish, or Malagasy rainbowfish due to their endemism to Madagascar. It includes two genera, Bedotia and Rheocles. [more]
Dentatherinidae
Melanotaeniidae
The rainbowfishes are a family of small, colorful, fish that are found in northern and eastern Australia and New Guinea and in the Southeast Asian Islands. [more]
Notocheiridae
Phallostethidae
Pseudomugilidae
Telmatherinidae
The Sail-fin silversides are a family of fish, the Telmatherinidae, inhabiting fresh and brackish water . All but one species are restricted to the island of Sulawesi, and most are found solely in the Malili Lakes of that island. [more]
At least 19 species and subspecies belong to the Family Telmatherinidae.
More info about the Family Telmatherinidae may be found here.
References
- ^ a b c d Allen, Gerald R. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 153–156. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ^ a b c d e Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7.
- ^ Sparks, John S.; Smith, W. Leo (2004). "Phylogeny and biogeography of the Malagasy and Australasian rainbowfishes (Teleostei: Melanotaenioidei): Gondwanan vicariance and evolution in freshwater" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33: 719–734. doi:
Sources
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