Zeiformes

Zeiformes Temporal range: Late Cretaceous–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N [1]
Zeus faber
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Zeiformes
Families
See text

The Zeiformes are a small order of marine ray-finned fishes most notable for the dories, a group of common food fish. The order consists of about 33 species in seven families, mostly deep-sea types.

Zeiform bodies are usually thin and deep. Mouths are large, with distensible jaws, and there is no orbitosphenoid. Pelvic fins have 5-10 soft rays and possibly a spine, 5-10 dorsal fin spines and up to 4 anal fin spines. They range in size from the Dwarf Dory (Macrurocyttus acanthopodus), at 43 millimetres (1.7 in) in length, to the Cape Dory (Zeus capensis), which measures up to 90 centimetres (35 in).^[1]

The boarfishes (Caproidae) have been included in this order though they are currently included in the Perciformes.

Families

• Family Cyttidae (lookdown dories)
• Family Grammicolepididae (tinselfishes)
• Family Oreosomatidae (oreos)
• Family Parazenidae (parazens)
• Family Zeidae (dories)
• Family Zenionidae (zeniontids) (formerly known as Macrurocyttidae)

Timeline of genera

References

1. Karrer, C. & John, H-C. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N., eds. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 165–167. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.

• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2005). "Zeiformes" in FishBase. March 2005 version.
• J.S. Nelson, Fishes of the World
• Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 363: 1–560. Retrieved 2011-05-17.