Ophidiiformes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ophidiiformes |
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| Fawn cusk-eel, Lepophidium profundorum | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Clade: | Percomorpha |
| Order: | Ophidiiformes L. S. Berg, 1937 |
| Suborders | |
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see text |
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Ophidiiformes are a group of ray-finned fish. This order includes fascinating fish like cusk-eels, pearlfishes, and viviparous brotulas. These fish usually have small heads and long, slender bodies. Their bodies might have smooth scales, or sometimes no scales at all. They have a long fin on their back and another long fin on their belly. These fins often join up with their tail fin.
Most Ophidiiformes live in warm, tropical, and subtropical areas. You can find them in both fresh water and the ocean. Some even live in the deepest parts of the ocean, called the abyssal depths! They have many different ways of finding food and living their lives. Some are even parasites. Most of these fish lay eggs, but some give birth to live young.
Contents
Where do Ophidiiformes live?
This group of fish includes many species that live deep in the ocean. One of the deepest known fish, Abyssobrotula galatheae, is an Ophidiiform. It was found about 8,370 meters (27,460 feet) deep in the Puerto Rico Trench. That's super deep!
However, many other species live in shallow waters. You can often spot them near coral reefs. A few types even live in fresh water, like rivers and lakes. While most prefer tropical or subtropical places, some Ophidiiformes live in colder regions. They can be found as far north as Greenland and as far south as the Weddell Sea near Antarctica.
What do Ophidiiformes look like?
Ophidiiform fish typically have thin bodies and small heads. Their skin can be smooth or covered in small, smooth scales. They have a very long dorsal fin (on their back) and a long anal fin (on their belly). These two long fins usually connect with their caudal fin (tail fin).
Even though they live in different ways, they all share this similar body shape. Some Ophidiiformes live in the open ocean (called pelagic). Others live near the bottom of the sea (called benthic). And, as mentioned, some are even parasites, living on or inside other animals.
Most Ophidiiformes lay eggs. But some species are viviparous, which means they give birth to live baby fish instead of laying eggs. These fish come in many sizes. The smallest, Grammanoides opisthodon, is only about 5 centimeters (2 inches) long. The largest, Lamprogrammus shcherbachevi, can grow up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) long!
Some fish families, like the Ranicipitidae (tadpole cods) and Euclichthyidae (eucla cods), used to be part of this group. But now, scientists classify them in a different order called Gadiformes.
How are Ophidiiformes classified?
Scientists divide the Ophidiiformes order into smaller groups called suborders and families. Here's how they are organized:
- Suborder Ophidioidei
- Family Carapidae Poey, 1867 — These are the pearlfishes.
- Family Ophidiidae Rafinesque, 1810 — These are the cusk-eels.
- Suborder Bythitoidei
- Family Bythitidae Gill, 1861 — These are the viviparous brotulas.
- Family Aphyonidae Jordan & Evermann, 1898 — These are called aphyonids or blind cusk-eels.
- Family Parabrotulidae Nielsen, 1968 — These are known as false brotulas.
Scientists believe that the Bythitoidei suborder is a "monophyletic" group. This means all the fish in this group came from a single common ancestor. All fish in the Bythitoidei suborder give birth to live young. The Ophidioidei suborder, on the other hand, lay eggs.
Images for kids
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A fawn cusk-eel, a type of Ophidiiformes fish.
See also
In Spanish: Ophidiiformes para niños
