Atheriniformes |
Dwarf rainbowfish, Melanotaenia
praecox
|
Scientific classification |
|
Families |
Suborder Bedotioidei
Betodiidae
Suborder Melanotaenioidei
Melanotaeniidae (rainbowfishes)
Pseudomugilidae (blue eyes)
Suborder Atherinoidei
Atherinidae (silversides)
Atherinopsidae (Neotropical silversides)
Notocheiridae
Telmatherinidae (sailfin silversides)
Dentatherinidae
Phallostethidae |
Atheriniformes is an
order of
ray-finned fish that includes the
silversides and several less-familiar families, including
the unusual Phallostethidae.
Members of the order usually have two
dorsal fins, the first with flexible spines, and an anal fin
with one spine at the front. The lateral line is typically
weak or absent. 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.
Classification of the atheriniforms is uncertain, with
the best evidence for
monophyly in the larval characteristics mentioned above.
Reference
-
J.S. Nelson,
Fishes of the World