Order Summary for Zeiformes

  Main Ref
:
  Order
:
Zeiformes dories
  Class
:
Teleostei
  Sister Order
:
Gasterosteiformes 15 M years
  Ref.
:
  First Fossil Record
:
late Tertiary
  Occurs in
:
Marine
Fresh
Brackish
  Remark
:
Pelvic fin with or without a spine and 5-10 soft rays; caudal fin usually with 11 branched rays (13 in grammicolepidids); dorsal fin spines 5-10; anal fin spines 0-4; soft rays of dorsal, anal, and pectoral fins not branched; body usually thin and deep; jaws usually greatly distensible; no orbitosphenoid; simple posttemporal fused to skull; swim bladder present; branchiostegal rays 5-8; vertebrae 21-46. Caproids have the lowest number of vertebrae and grammicolepidids the highest. All species are marine, most are deep sea.
  Class etymology
:
Greek aktis = ray, thunderbolt, beam + Greek pterygion, diminutive of pteryx = wing, fin. Ref. 45335.
  Order etymology
:
Greek, Zeus = the supreme deity of the ancients Greeks, 1839 + Latin, forma = shape (Ref. 45335).
  Families
:

Ref.
[ e.g. 9948]                       
Glossary
                    [ e.g. cephalopods]

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