Beardfishes
Temporal range: Turonian–present
Stout Beardfish, (P. nobilis)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
(unranked): Acanthomorpha
Order: Polymixiiformes
Family: Polymixiidae
Bleeker, 1859
Type species
Polymixia nobilis
Families
  • †Boreiohydriidae Murray & Cumbaa 2013
  • †Digoriidae Bannikov 1985
  • Polymixiidae Gill 1862
Synonyms
  • Polymixioidei Bleeker 1859

The beardfishes consist of a single extant genus, Polymixia, of deep-sea marine ray-finned fish named for their pair of long hyoid barbels. They are classified in their own order Polymixiiformes /pɒliˈmɪksi.ɪfɔːrmiːz/.[1] But as Nelson says, "few groups have been shifted back and forth as frequently as this one, and they were recently added to Paracanthoptergii".[2] For instance, they have previously been classified as belonging to the Beryciformes. They are of little economic importance.[3]

They are found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific Ocean. They are bottom-dwelling fish, found down to about 800 m (2,600 ft) depth. Most are relatively small fish, although one species, Polymixia berndti, is over 40 cm (16 in) in length.[3]

The earliest fossils are from the Turonian of Canada, from the former Western Interior Seaway.[4]

Classification

Timeline of genera

QuaternaryNeogenePaleogeneCretaceousHolocenePleistocenePlioceneMioceneOligoceneEocenePaleoceneLate CretaceousEarly CretaceousPolymixiaPycnosterinxDalmatichthysBerycopsiaBerycopsisOmosomaHomonotichthysParaipichthysAipichthysAipichthyoidesQuaternaryNeogenePaleogeneCretaceousHolocenePleistocenePlioceneMioceneOligoceneEocenePaleoceneLate CretaceousEarly Cretaceous

References

  1. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Polymixiiformes" in FishBase. February 2006 version.
  2. ^ Joseph S. Nelson. Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-54713-1.
  3. ^ a b Paxton, John R. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 161. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
  4. ^ Murray, Alison M. (2014). "Mid-Cretaceous acanthomorph fishes with the description of a new species from the Turonian of Lac des Bois, Northwest Territories, Canada". Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology. 1: 101–115. doi:10.18435/B5CC78. ISSN 2292-1389.
  5. ^ Haaramo, Mikko (2007). "Polymixiomorpha – beardfishes and relatives". Mikko's Phylogeny Archive. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Part 7- Vertebrates". Collection of genus-group names in a systematic arrangement. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
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