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Zoarcoidei

(Suborder)

Overview

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Zoarcoidei is a of the Perciformes, the largest order of fish. The suborder includes the wolffishes, gunnels and eelpouts.

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Suborder Zoarcoidei is a member of the Order Perciformes. Here is the complete "parentage" of Zoarcoidei:

The Suborder Zoarcoidei is further organized into finer groupings including:

Families

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Anarhichadidae

The wolffishes are a family, Anarhichadidae, of fishes. They are native to cold waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, where they live on the continental shelf and slope, to depths of about 600 m. They are bottom-feeders, eating hard-shelled invertebrates such as clams, echinoderms and crustaceans, which they crush with strong canine and molar teeth. The longest species, Anarrhichthys ocellatus, grows to 240 cm in length. [more]

Bathymasteridae

Ronquils (sometimes spelt ronchils) are marine fish of the small family Bathymasteridae. Found only in Arctic and North Pacific waters, the ronquil family contains just seven species in three genera. The larger species are important to commercial fisheries as food fish. Ronquils are most closely related to the eelpouts and prowfish. [more]

Cryptacanthodidae

[more]

Pholidae

The gunnels are a family, Pholidae, of fishes in the order . [more]

Ptilichthyidae

The quillfish, Ptilichthys goodei, is a species of fish, the only species in the genus Ptilichthys and family Ptilichthyidae. It is an elongate eel-like fish that reaches 34 cm in length. It is native to the north Pacific Ocean, from the Bering Sea down to Oregon. [more]

Scytalinidae

[more]

Stichaeidae

The pricklebacks also known as shannies are a family, Stichaeidae, of fishes in the order . [more]

Zaproridae

Prowfish (Zaprora silenus) are subtropical marine fish found in the North Pacific. They are the only member of their family, Zaproridae. They should not be confused with the Australian prowfish of the unrelated family Pataecidae. [more]

Zoarcidae

The eelpouts are the family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance, with elongate bodies, and the dorsal and anal fins continuous with the caudal fin. All of the approximately 220 species are marine, mostly bottom-dwelling, some at great depths. They are sometimes called "fish doctors" (not to be confused with the doctorfish or surgeon fishes). [more]

At least 388 species and subspecies belong to the Family Zoarcidae.

More info about the Family Zoarcidae may be found here.

Sources

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Last Revised: September 22, 2009
2009/09/22 09:50:49