Article
Article
Polymixiiformes
Article By:
Boschung, Herbert T. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Last reviewed:January 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.803460
The only order of the superorder Polymixiomorpha, comprising the beardfishes. The order Polymixiiformes (infraclass Teleostei, class Actinopterygii) consists of one family (Polymixiidae) with one genus (Polymixia) and ten extant species. Several fossil genera are known from the Upper Cretaceous. Originally, the family Polymixiidae was placed within the order Beryciformes; however, recent evidence suggests that the family may be the sister group to all other acanthomorphs (spiny-rayed fishes). The members of the family are known commonly as beardfishes. See also: Actinopterygii; Beryciformes; Cretaceous; Fossil; Osteichthyes; Teleostei
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