Ray-finned fishes

Ray-finned fishes are a very diverse class, about half of all vertebrates being ray-fins. They get their name from the form of their fins - bony struts with a web of skin covering them. Familiar fish such as the goldfish, cod and seahorse are all members of this class.

Show all Ray-finned fishes

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Order

  • Anchovies, herrings and allies (Clupeiformes)

    Anchovies, herrings and their allies are an order of fish that contains nearly 400 species. These fish are highly streamlined for fast swimming and often form huge shoals which makes many species commercially important for the fishing industry.

  • Catfish (Siluriformes)

    Catfish (Siluriformes) are a large order of fish, with over 2,400 species in it. Most catfish live in freshwater, but there are a few marine species.

  • Characiformes Characids (family)

  • Needlefish, flying fish and allies (Beloniformes)

    Needlefish, flying fish and three other families of fish together make up the order Beloniformes. There are 191 species in the order, the vast majority of which live in the sea.

  • Osteoglossiformes Pirarucu (species)

  • Perch-like fishes (Perciformes)

    The perch-like fishes (Perciformes) is an order of ray-finned fishes, typified by the perch. It contains the largest number of species of any vertebrate order.

  • Salmoniformes Brown trout (species)

  • Syngnathiformes Seahorses and pipefish (family)

About

The Actinopterygii (the plural form of Actinopterygius) constitute the class of the ray-finned fishes.

The ray-finned fishes are so called because they possess lepidotrichia or "fin rays", their fins being webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines ("rays"), as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize the class Sarcopterygii which also, however, possess lepidotrichia. These actinopterygian fin rays attach directly to the proximal or basal skeletal elements, the radials, which represent the link or connection between these fins and the internal skeleton (e.g., pelvic and pectoral girdles).

In terms of numbers, actinopterygians are the dominant class of vertebrates, comprised of nearly 95% of the 25,000 species of fish. They are ubiquitous throughout fresh water and marine environments from the deep sea to the highest mountain streams. Extant species can range in size from Paedocypris, at 8 millimetres (0.31 in), to the massive Ocean Sunfish, at 2,300 kilograms (5,100 lb), and the long-bodied Oarfish, to at least 11 metres (36 ft).

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Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animal (animalia)

Class: Actinopterygii

Other members of the same phylum

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