Order Summary for Lophiiformes

  Main Ref
:
  Order
:
Lophiiformes anglerfishes
  Class
:
Teleostei
  Sister Order
:
Percopsiformes 50 M years
  Ref.
:
  First Fossil Record
:
early Tertiary
  Occurs in
:
Marine
Fresh
Brackish
  Remark
:
First ray of spinous dorsal, if present, on head and transformed into illicium (line) and esca (bait), a device for attracting prey to mouth; pelvic fins, if present, in front of pectorals, with one spine and four (rarely) or five soft rays; gill opening small tubelike, at or behind (rarely partly in front of) pectoral fin base; five or six branchiostegal rays; no ribs; pectoral radials 2-5, narrow and elongate; first vertebra fused to skull; swim bladder, when present, physoclistous.
  Class etymology
:
Greek aktis = ray, thunderbolt, beam + Greek pterygion, diminutive of pteryx = wing, fin. Ref. 45335.
  Order etymology
:
Greek, lophos, crest + Latin, forma = shape (Ref. 45335).
  Families
:

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

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