Cetomimiformes
Whalefishes | |
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Barbourisia rufa
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Scientific classification (disputed) | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cetomimiformes |
Families | |
Barbourisiidae Cetomimidae Rondeletiidae
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The Cetomimiformes or whalefishes are an order of small, deep-sea
Within this group are five families and approximately 18 genera and 32 species (but see below). Thought to have a circumglobal distribution throughout the tropical and temperate latitudes, whalefishes have been recorded at depths in excess of 3,500 metres.
Description
Named after their whale-shaped body (from the Greek ketos meaning "whale" or "sea monster", mimos meaning "imitative" and the Latin forma meaning "form"), the Cetomimiformes have extremely large mouths and highly distensible stomachs. Their eyes are very small or vestigial; the lateral line (composed of huge, hollow tubes) is consequently very well developed to compensate for life in the pitch black depths.
The dorsal and
The largest known species reach a length of just 40 centimetres; most species are half this size.
Families
- Cetomimidae — flabby whalefishes
- Rondeletiidae— redmouth whalefishes
- monotypic)
The gibberfishes (
Footnotes
References
- Nelson, J.S. (2006): ISBN 0-471-25031-7
- Paxton, John R.; Johnson, G. David & Trnski, Thomas (2001): Larvae and juveniles of the deepsea "whalefishes" Barbourisia and Rondeletia (Stephanoberyciformes: Barbourisiidae, Rondeletiidae), with comments on family relationships. Records of the Australian Museum 53(3): 407-425. PDF fulltext
External links
- Whalefish - Smithsonian Ocean Portal
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Cetomimiformes" in FishBase. January 2006 version.
- Aquatic community website Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine