Aulopiformes

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Section: Aulopa
Ordo: Aulopiformes
Subordines: Alepisauroidei – Chlorophthalmoidei – Giganturoidei – Synodontoidei – †Enchodontoidei – †Halecoidei – †Ichthyotringoidei
Genera incertae sedis: †Ursichthys

References

Betancur-R., R., Broughton, R.E., Wiley, E.O., Carpenter, K., López, J.A., Li, C., Holcroft, N.I., Arcila, D., Sanciangco, M., Cureton II, J.C., Zhang, F., Buser, T., Campbell, M.A., Ballesteros, J.A., Roa-Varon, A., Willis, S., Borden, W.C., Rowley, T., Reneau, P.C., Hough, D.J., Lu, G., Grande, T., Arratia, G. & Ortí, G. 2013. The tree of life and a new classification of bony fishes. PLOS Currents Tree of Life 2013 Apr 18: 1–45, downloadable Appendix 2 (new classification): 1–21, and downloadable Figure S1 (complete cladogram with annotated classification). DOI: 10.1371/currents.tol.53ba26640df0ccaee75bb165c8c26288 [nonfunctional] Broken access. PDF.. Reference page.
Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World., fourth edition. John Wiley, Hoboken, 624 pp. ISBN 0-471-25031-7. ISBN 978-0-471-25031-9. Reference page.

Vernacular names
日本語: ヒメ目
polski: skrzelokształtne, żaglonokształtne

Aulopiformes /ˈɔːləpɪfɔːrmiːz/ is a diverse order of marine ray-finned fish consisting of some 15 extant and several prehistoric families with about 45 genera and over 230 species. The common names grinners, lizardfishes and allies, or aulopiforms are sometimes used for this group. The scientific name means "Aulopus-shaped", from Aulopus (the type genus) + the standard fish order suffix "-formes". It ultimately derives from Ancient Greek aulós (αὐλός, "flute" or "pipe") + Latin forma ("external form"), the former in reference to the elongated shape of many aulopiforms.[2][3][4]

They are grouped together because of common features in the structure of their gill arches. Indeed, many authors have considered them so distinct as to warrant separation in a monotypic superorder of the Teleostei, under the name Cyclosquamata. However, monotypic taxa are generally avoided by modern taxonomists if not necessary, and in this case a distinct superorder seems indeed unwarranted: together with the equally dubious superorder "Stenopterygii", the grinners appear to be so closely related to some Protacanthopterygii to be included in that superorder. In particular, this group might be the sister taxon of the Salmoniformes (salmon, trout, and relatives). As an alternative, the superorders are sometimes united as an unranked clade named Euteleostei, but in that case the Protacanthopterygii would need to be split further to account for the phylogenetic uncertainty. This would result in a highly cumbersome and taxonomically redundant group of two very small and no less than four monotypic superorders.[5][6]

An extinct clade of Aulopiformes, the suborder Enchodontoidei and its many constituent families, were dominant nektonic fish throughout much of the Late Cretaceous.[1][7] Several other extant aulopiform families also have Cretaceous representatives, and phylogenetic evidence indicates that the order as a whole diversified into its extant families around the Early Cretaceous, making it rather ancient. These diversifications included the earliest adaptations for deep-sea living, which is common among many extant aulopiform taxa.[8]
Description

Many aulopiforms are deep-sea fishes, with some species recognized as being hermaphrodites, some with the ability to self-fertilise. Some are benthic, but most are pelagic nekton. In general, aulopiform fish have a mixture of advanced and primitive characteristics relative to other teleost fish.[5][9]
A shortnose greeneye, Chlorophthalmus agassizi
(Chlorophthalmoidei: Chlorophthalmidae)

Aulopiforms have either a vestigial gas bladder, or lack it entirely, a hypaxialis muscle that is unusually extended to forward at its upper end and attaches to the neurocranium below the spine (perhaps to snap the upper part of the skull down when catching prey) and the position of the maxillary bone. Their second pharyngobranchial is greatly elongated posterolaterally away from third pharyngobranchial, which lacks a cartilaginous condyle to articulate with the preceding, but is contacted by the elongated uncinate process of the second epibranchial. Other features include the position of the pelvic fins far back on the body, the fused medial processes of pelvic girdle, and the presence of an adipose fin (which is also typical for the Protacanthopterygii).[4][5][9]

The larvae of some Aulopiformes are extremely bizarre-looking, with elongated fins, and do not resemble the adult animals. They were not only described as distinct species, but also even separated as genera and finally in a family "Macristiidae" which was allied with various Protacanthopterygii (sensu lato), but the initial assessment – which found "Macristium" to resemble the deepwater lizardfishes (Bathysauridae) in some details – was not far off the mark: "Macristium" species are larvae of Bathysaurus, while the supposed other "macristiids", "Macristiella" species are larvae of the deepsea tripodfish Bathytyphlops.[10]
Classification
Lestrolepis japonica
(Alepisauroidei: Paralepididae)
Reconstruction of Enchodus petrosus from the Cretaceous of the Western Interior Seaway
(Enchodontoidei: Enchodontidae)
Highfin lizardfish, Bathysaurus mollis
(Giganturoidei: Bathysauridae)

Suborder Alepisauroidei
Family Alepisauridae – lancetfishes
Family Anotopteridae – daggertooths (may belong in Paralepididae)
Family Evermannellidae – sabertooth fishes
Family Omosudidae – hammerjaw (sometimes included in Alepisauridae)
Family Paralepididae – barracudinas
Family †Polymerichthyidae – an extinct alepisauroid closely related to the daggertooths and lancetfish[11]
Family Scopelarchidae – pearleyes
Suborder Chlorophthalmoidei
Family Bathysauroididae – pale deepsea lizardfish
Family Bathysauropsidae – lizard greeneyes (sometimes included in Ipnopidae)
Family Chlorophthalmidae – greeneyes
Family Ipnopidae – deepsea tripodfishes
Family Notosudidae – waryfishes
Suborder Enchodontoidei (including Halecoidei, Ichthyotringoidei, may belong in Alepisauroidei; fossil)
Genus Nardorex (fossil, tentatively placed here)
Genus Serrilepis (fossil, tentatively placed here)
Genus Yabrudichthys (fossil, tentatively placed here)
Family Apateopholidae (fossil)
Family Cimolichthyidae (fossil)
Family Dercetidae (fossil)
Family Enchodontidae (fossil)
Family Eurypholidae (fossil)
Family Halecidae (fossil)
Family Ichthyotringidae (fossil)
Family Prionolepididae (fossil)
Suborder Giganturoidei
Family Bathysauridae – deepwater lizardfishes
Family Giganturidae – telescopefishes
Suborder Synodontoidei
Family Aulopidae – flagfins
Family Paraulopidae – "cucumberfishes"
Family Pseudotrichonotidae – sandliving lizardfishes, sand-diving lizardfishes
Family Synodontidae – typical lizardfishes
Suborder incertae sedis
?Family Cheirothricidae (fossil, generally considered indeterminate eurypterygians)[12]
Genus Aulopopsis (fossil)[13]

Timeline of genera
Footnotes

Davis, Matthew P.; Fielitz, Christopher (2010-12-01). "Estimating divergence times of lizardfishes and their allies (Euteleostei: Aulopiformes) and the timing of deep-sea adaptations". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57 (3): 1194–1208. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.09.003. ISSN 1055-7903.
Woodhouse (1910)
Glare (1982)
FishBase (2000)
Nelson (2006, p. 214)
Diogo (2008)
Chida, Mori (Fall 2022). "A new species of dercetid and the assessment of the phylogeny of the Enchodontoidei (Teleostei: Aulopiformes)". ERA. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
Davis, Matthew P.; Fielitz, Christopher (2010-12-01). "Estimating divergence times of lizardfishes and their allies (Euteleostei: Aulopiformes) and the timing of deep-sea adaptations". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57 (3): 1194–1208. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.09.003. ISSN 1055-7903.
Johnson & Eschmeyer (1998)
Taylor (2009)
Uyeno, Teruya. "A Miocene alepisauroid fish of a new family, Polymerichthyidae, from Japan." Bull. Nat. Sci. Mus 10 (1967): 383-394.
Dietze, Kathrin (2009-06-01). "Morphology and phylogenetic relationships of certain neoteleostean fishes from the Upper Cretaceous of Sendenhorst, Germany". Cretaceous Research. 30 (3): 559–574. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2008.11.001. ISSN 0195-6671.

Beckett, Hermione; Giles, Sam; Friedman, Matt (2018-11-14). "Comparative anatomy of the gill skeleton of fossil Aulopiformes (Teleostei: Eurypterygii)". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 16 (14): 1221–1245. doi:10.1080/14772019.2017.1387184. ISSN 1477-2019.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aulopiformes.

Diogo, Rui (2008). "On the cephalic and pectoral girdle muscles of the deep sea fish Alepocephalus rostratus, with comments on the functional morphology and phylogenetic relationships of the Alepocephaloidei (Teleostei)". Anim. Biol. 58 (1): 23–29. doi:10.1163/157075608X303636.
Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Aulopiformes" in FishBase. April 2006 version.
Glare, P.G.W., ed. (1982). "forma". Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-864224-5.
Johnson, R.K.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (1998). "Aulopiformes". In Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 123–126. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7.
Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
Taylor, Christopher (2009-02-05). "Living Larvae and Fossil Fish". Catalogue of Organisms. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
Woodhouse, S.C. (1910). "Flute". English-Greek Dictionary - A Vocabulary of the Attic Language. Broadway House, Ludgate Hill, E.C.: George Routledge & Sons Ltd. p. 330.