Acanthuriformes

Acanthuriformes
Temporal range: Late Paleocene–present
Brown meagre (Sciaena umbra)
Brown meagre (Sciaena umbra)
Ctenochaetus tominiensis
Ctenochaetus tominiensis
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Clade: Percomorpha
Clade: Eupercaria
Order: Acanthuriformes
Jordan, 1923
Type species
Families

See text

Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa
Synonyms
  • Chaetodontiformes
  • Caproiformes
  • Ephippiformes
  • Lobotiformes
  • Lutjaniformes
  • Moroniformes
  • Priacanthiformes
  • Spariformes

Acanthuriformes is a large, diverse order of mostly marine ray-finned fishes, part of the Percomorpha clade. In the past, members of this clade were placed in the suborders Acanthuroidea and Percoidea of the order Perciformes, but this treatment is now considered paraphyletic.

This order contains many of the iconic tropical reef fish groups, such as surgeonfish, marine angelfish, butterflyfish, rabbitfish, grunts, and snappers. It also contains widespread, economically important food and sport fishes, such as drums, temperate basses, and porgies. The only pelagic member of the group is the louvar.

Etymology

The name comes from Ancient Greek ἄκανθα (ákantha), meaning "spine", οὐρά (ourá), and Latin formes, meaning "form".

Classification

The following classification is based on Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (2025):

In the past, the rovers and drums were included within the suborder Sciaenoidei within the Acanthuriformes. However, this placement causes the group to be paraphyletic. Some authors have resolved this by placing the two families included in that suborder as incertae sedis in the Eupercaria, but others have resolved this by placing even more families within the order, the latter of which is followed by the Catalog of Fishes.

Some authors also lump the Lophiiformes and Tetraodontiformes within this group as the suborders Lophioidei and Tetraodontoidei, because Acanthuriformes is otherwise paraphyletic. However, they are presently retained as distinct orders by taxonomic authorities.

Fossil taxa

The following extinct groups are also known:

Phylogeny

Cladogram from Near & Thacker, 2024:

Acanthuriformes

References

  1. ↑ "Taxon: Order Acanthuriformes Jordan, 1923". The Taxonomicon. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  2. 1 2 Fricke, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Van der Laan, R. (2025). "ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  3. ↑ Arostegui, Martin C.; Shero, Michelle R.; Frank, Lawrence R.; Berquist, Rachel M.; Braun, Camrin D. (2023). "An enigmatic pelagic fish with internalized red muscle: A future regional endotherm or forever an ectotherm?". Journal of Fish Biology. 102 (6): 1311–1326. Bibcode:2023JFBio.102.1311A. doi:10.1111/jfb.15375. ISSN 1095-8649. PMID 36911991.
  4. 1 2 J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 497–502. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  5. ↑ Ricardo Betancur-R; Edward O. Wiley; Gloria Arratia; et al. (2017). "Phylogenetic classification of bony fishes". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17 (162) 162. Bibcode:2017BMCEE..17..162B. doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0958-3. PMC 5501477. PMID 28683774.
  6. 1 2 Near, Thomas J.; Thacker, Christine E. (2024-04-18). "Phylogenetic Classification of Living and Fossil Ray-Finned Fishes (Actinopterygii)". Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History. 65 (1): 101. Bibcode:2024BPMNH..65..101N. doi:10.3374/014.065.0101. ISSN 0079-032X.
  7. ↑ Laan, Richard van der (2018-10-11). "Family-group names of fossil fishes". European Journal of Taxonomy (466). doi:10.5852/ejt.2018.466. ISSN 2118-9773.